Unprepared
by Enaty
Summary: Live with Leon is easier said than done. What problems will Dana, D and Leon encounter once they are back in America?Is Leon a good father? Can D trust him to a take care of Dana? Will they find a compromise how to raise their unwanted child together?ICP2
1. Introduction

**Title: **Unprepared

**Author: **Enaty

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **hermaphrodite D, Leon's language (I love the fact that he's cursing all the time xD)

**Disclaimer: **Don't own anything as far as the original cast of PSoH is concerned. But

**Claimer: **Dana's mine, and every other person/animal/whatever turning up in this fic that didn't appear in the series is mine as well. I don't mind you using them if you want to, **but** I would really like to know what happens to my kids. So far I've not bitten anybody who asked politely. ;-P

**Author's Notes: **

Hei everybody! I know I've taken some time to get this one done, and that you have been waiting for it to come, but here it is, finally, the ultimate sequel to "Unwanted"!

I don't want to prolong this too much since I guess you want to start reading, but there are some things I've gotta say before fun begins.

First, this is another story very dear to me. So please respect this when you're reading it and when you want to leave a review. Criticism is always welcome, but I don't appreciate being flamed for whatever reason. If the story turns out not like you imagined it would, feel free to think of your own ending (after all, we're talking about a piece of fanfiction here, nothing real in it anyway), but don't be angry at me. I was interested in what would happen when D and Dana moved back to L.A. and this is what I thought most probable (and I won't cut off anyone's head who thinks differently. Tell me. I'd be interested in knowing what you thought would happen!).

Second, writing is much work and takes a lot of time. I do it because I like it, and I hope you'll enjoy this story. If you want to make me a happy author (and let's assume you do want to make me happy ^-^), leave me a comment. Appreciate the fact that I spent hours (and quite a few, too) of my life writing this for your pleasure, please.

Third, I speak various languages. Unfortunately, Chinese is not amongst them. Since both D and Dana are Chinese and she doesn't know much English, please assume that they are talking Chinese with each other. Sometimes I dared to look up single words, but I don't want to abuse a beautiful language by creating sentences that will most likely be wrong.

Fourth, enough words. Go on, enjoy, have fun. Make me feel proud when I look at the hits. (And ignore me bragging, please :-P)

So long, Enaty


	2. Chapter 1: Return

**Return**

D had always liked moving the shop. The earth from far above was a sight to behold. And right now his heart was light, in contrast to the last four times he had seen this picture.

"Dana, can you see that continent down there? That is America. That is where we're going to," he said to his daughter. She turned her head to him.

"Leon in America?" she asked.

D smiled at her. "Yes, Leon lives there. We are going to live with him, lovely."

"Dana likes Leon," she announced and wriggled in his arms. The kami held on to her tighter.

"Dana, don't. I don't want you to fall over board."

She pouted. "Want down!"

He sighed and set her to the floor, where she quickly took off to fling herself at Honlon. Her elder sister smiled gently (Shuko was dominant at the moment) and let herself be lead by the small girl. D turned back to watch the earth, smile returning to his face. It had been a week since Leon had left, but he had had to take care of a few things back in Japan. The most important was getting Taizu into prison. It hadn't been difficult, D had known long since that the man was taking forbidden medicaments. It gave the police an excuse to search his house, where they found various other evidence of Taizu's illegal activities.

D usually wasn't one to tell, he knew very well that sometimes he was on the line of legality, but in Taizu's case he made an exception. He could, of course, have sent Tetsu to him, or one of the other pets, but his despise of the man was so overwhelming he didn't even want a pet in his shop that had eaten him. Handing him over to the police was a rather easy option, and one that didn't cause delay, for he had done so anonymously.

Now that everything was settled, D was free again. Free to move to America, free to live there with Leon. He watched earth grow nearer as the shop steered towards the familiar city, the familiar place in Chinatown. The kami closed his eyes and felt it changing to adjust to the little basement room, felt it change form again.

And then they were home.

D opened his eyes again and smiled brightly as he saw the familiar front room around him. Dana was sitting on the sofa with Honlon, listening to her sister reading from a book. The curtain behind which her bed was hidden was in place. The teacart was standing beside the small table. Yes, this was home.

Sweeping over to his daughters, he took Dana up in his arms. She didn't object, which told D very clearly that she was almost asleep on her feet. "Shuko, Tetsu, please go and make sure the pets are settling in again," he ordered and carried the girl off to his bedroom. "We will open in two hours."

* * *

"Count, it is so nice to see you again!" The kami bowed and smiled at the couple. "Thank you, Mrs and Mr Li. I am most delighted to be back, too."

They wanted to chatter on, but the door opened and cut them off. D's smile brightened when he saw the new visitor, but the Lis suddenly looked slightly uncomfortable. "We hope you will stay longer now that you are back," Mrs Li said and hastily shushed her husband out, sending the detective an exasperated glance. He wrinkled his brow, but they were gone before he could utter a word.

The kami swept over once they'd left the shop. "Detective!" The way he said it told as much as the sparkle in his eyes. Leon looked slightly horrified, as if afraid D would throw himself into his arms the next second. But the Chinese stopped in time and just beamed up at him. The blonde cleared his throat.

"Sorry I wasn't here earlier, the chief had work to do," he mumbled and scratched his head.

"Oh, don't worry about that. Dana is still asleep anyway, we arrived only four hours ago and she was very tired. Tea?" D turned and busied himself with the tea-set.

Leon sat down and looked around. "Doesn't look like you ever left," he commented and D flashed him another smile.

"It's amazing, isn't it? But it's very good for Dana. Children need stability in their lives."

"You talk like an old mother." Leon chuckled. The kami blushed involuntarily and set the teacup down with more force than necessary.

"In case you haven't noticed, Detective, I've been a parent for some time now," he said lightly, but there was a sharp edge to his voice. The blonde sighed.

"Look, D, can we just stop this, please? I mean, I don't want to quarrel the whole time while I'm here. However she was conceived, Dana is my kid and I'm grateful that she's here, okay?"

D bit his lip and averted his gaze. The blush on his face was shame more than embarrassment. But he nodded. Pon-chan looked up from her pillow. "Wow, I'd never thought I'd live to see that day," she remarked dryly and was favoured with a glare from both Leon and her master. Chuckling, she hopped off the pillow and went towards the back. "Gonna look if Dana's woken now," she announced, but a child's cry from the back answered her question.

Leon quickly stood and waved D away. "Lemme get her, D. Prepare tea, or whatever you wanna do," he said and went after Pon-chan.

A few minutes later he appeared again, a very sleepy girl in his arms, who snuggled to him closely. D's heart skipped a beat. "Good morning, Dana," he greeted his daughter and kissed her on the cheek. "Did you sleep well?"

A shy nod was his only answer and the girl fastened her arms onto Leon's neck, thus pulling his hair. He winced and sat down. "D, you've gotta teach her more English. I can't understand her at all," he said casually while he pried Dana's fingers loose from his ponytail.

"Why don't you do that? I prefer to speak Chinese with her, and it will be for her good if she grows up bilingual," D answered and poured some tea.

Dana sent a glance at the table and hid her face in Leon's shoulder. She showed no interest in the food yet, in contrast to the pets. They surrounded the table and tried to snatch something. D had to rap them on the knuckles to keep them from stealing their food. Then he handed Leon a plate. The blonde had some difficulty eating, for Dana was pretty much in his way, but he managed. D, watching him, had to hide a smile behind his teacup when he saw the dislocations he had to make.

Finally the girl decided that now she was awake and wanted to eat. She grabbed Leon's fork with a piece of cake on it and tried to conduct it in her direction. "Dana hungry!" she exclaimed. The blonde quickly jerked back the fork, blue eyes wide.

"Dana! Stop it, you're gonna hurt yourself!" he practically yelled. The corners of her mouth quivered. Hastily Leon took a spoon and placed the cake on it. "Here, sweetie, that's okay. You can't hurt yourself with a spoon."

Dana eyed the spoon critically, but was too interested in the cake to object. She took it from her father's hand and ate the cake a little clumsily. "But only one!" D admonished and stood to get real food from the kitchen. "Really, Detective, I know she is my daughter, but sweets are never good for children's teeth, no matter whose children they are."

"Yeah, yeah, go get some real food, then, your little missy's hungry." Leon waved him off and watched Dana scoop up another piece of cake with an enrapt smile on his lips.

Well, he certainly was pretty happy about Dana being here. Whether the same could be said about D the kami didn't know. But right now, he was just content to be here at all. After all, nobody could have foreseen the developments.

He quickly prepared some sandwiches for Dana and returned to the front room. The girl was delighted and munched happily while Leon finally got to eat his cake in peace. Then she demanded to play. The blonde was only too happy to comply and soon they were rolling over the floor, tussling with each other, Pon-chan and T-chan gleefully taking advantage of Leon, too. D watched them, laughing softly while he cleared the table. Leon was going to have some scratches tomorrow, that was for sure.

Leon's phone rang and he pried his arm loose from Dana to take the call. D looked up and watched his face turn from happy to serious. "Yeah, got it, Jill. I'll be there in a minute. See ya," he said and closed it again, searching D's eyes. "Sorry, D, gotta go. There was a – a girl was found dead. I'll try to be back by bedtime, but don't count on me."

He bent down and ruffled Dana's hair lovingly. "Little missy, I've gotta go. I'll see you around, huh?" Her blue-golden eyes couldn't decide whether to look at her kami or human father. It was obvious she didn't understand what Leon was talking about and the blonde sighed. "Talk some more English with her, please, D," he called to the kami while he strode to the door.

Dana started to complain and D quickly got his daughter up, trying to soothe her. "He will be back, Dana, don't worry," he told her in Chinese. She didn't look convinced. He sighed, too. This would perhaps get difficult. Great. They were not even back a whole day and the problems were already about to start.

* * *

Jill was already waiting for Leon outside a big apartment complex when he arrived, parking his car behind a city police car. She started to tell him the facts as soon as he got out of the car.

"Dead person's name's Laura Miller, 23 years old, daughter of the Miller construction guy. Not the biggest one in town, but one of the better-off. She worked in a gallery on the Boulevard. As far as we know by now, she surprised a burglar and was killed by him. Her neighbour called the police when Laura didn't show up for their teatime, and the city cops found her in the apartment. Time of death approximately ten o'clock yesterday evening, but so far that is all we know."

They strode into the building, showing their badges to the cops. "Family and friends?" Leon asked and hit the elevator button. Jill nodded.

"Laura had a boyfriend, his name's Gavin McGallen. Yeah, McGallen as in 'McGallen seminary'. He's the black sheep of the family, had a lot of affairs. Grapevine says not only with women, but so far he's never been seen with a guy, so either he's very good at hiding his homosexuality or he's straight. We haven't called her family yet, wanted to wait for you."

They entered the elevator and Jill pressed the button for the fourth floor, while she eyed her colleague curiously. "So, is he back?" she asked. Leon, snatched from his thoughts, looked up in confusion.

"Who's back?" he demanded.

The blonde woman sighed and rolled her eyes. "You know. The Count. I thought I heard T-chan in the background when I called you."

The blonde nodded absent-mindedly. "Yeah, he is back. Arrived this morning, as far as I know."

Jill's eyes were great behind her glasses. "And?!" she inquired impatiently. Leon glared at her.

"What 'and'? He's back, yes. Everything's just like it was before. Why do you ask? We've got other things to think about right now."

The elevator pinged and they went out. The apartment was obvious. Lots of people were walking in and out, most of them in safety suits. Jill held step with Leon while she talked. "Well, I ask because I'm interested, of course, you moron. How was the reunion? And most important, did he bring your kid?"

Now she got a really mean glare. "Of course he has! Whaddya think, he left a 21-months-old kid back in Japan all alone?! Where was she found, anyway?"

Jill pouted, but answered all the same, carefully stepping around some tape on the floor that marked evidence. "In her walk-in closet."

The blonde stopped dead in his tracks and stared at her unbelievingly. "In her _walk-in closet_?!" he echoed completely nonplussed. Jill grinned.

"As I told you. The cops came in and found the apartment empty. Her friend came in, too, and she was the one who found her, because she went straight to the bedroom and noticed that the door to the wardrobe was slightly open. According to her, Laura would _never_ have left her wardrobe open. She was pretty crazy about her clothes."

She nearly broke down laughing at the expression on Leon's face. His jaw was hanging open and he stared at her as if he couldn't believe his eyes. "You've gotta be kidding. She was found in her _walk-in closet_?!"

"Like I told you," Jill answered and opened the door to the bedroom, getting an exasperated "Hey!" from the police photographer. She pointed over to where his colleague was busy. "There you go, honey. C'mon, this has to be fun! Dead girl found in her wardrobe, robbed and killed!"

Leon rolled his eyes and carefully crossed the room, kneeling down beside the corpse. Laura Miller had been pretty. She still was, even though now several shots and a lot of blood were marring her body. The officer sighed deeply. "Gods, those kids are just too adventurous! Why in all heavens didn't she call the cops if she heard someone in her flat? It looks like she was just entering this – thing." He gestured around himself, indicating the wardrobe, stuffed with different clothes and approximately hundreds of shoes.

Jill got down beside him, too. "Perhaps she wanted to protect her shoes," she suggested, grinning wickedly. That got her a weak glance from both Leon and the photographer. She shrugged. "Hey, guys, it's high society girl. For some of those shoes are more important than anything else. Perhaps she was one of them. Can you remember, Samantha was robbed in one episode of 'Sex and the city', too, and all she had to say to the guy that robbed her was: "Take what you want, but leave me my Manolo Blahniks"?"

The men looked even more suspicious. She rolled her eyes. "Guys. Manolo Blahnik. Doesn't ring a bell? Shoe designer. Oh, never care. Just get on with the details."

They sent her a last irritated look and then turned back to the body. She was indeed lying in the closet as if she just had entered. In one of her hands she held the t-shirt which she must have slipped out of when she heard the noise.

Leon wrinkled his brow. "Jill, tell me, if you hear someone in your flat, what would you do?" he asked. His colleague shrugged.

"Pull out my gun and find out who it is," she answered and looked at the clothes in the wardrobe. "Lords, they must've cost a small fortune!"

It was pretty clear she envied Laura, even though she was dead now. The blonde rolled his eyes. "Jill. Could you please stop gazing at those clothes and concentrate on the task at hand?" he said sarcastically. The woman sighed and turned to him.

"I'm a woman, I can do multi-tasking, Leon," she enlightened him and decided to prove her ability as a mind-reader as well. "And your next sentence would be: But if you're not in possession of a gun, what would you do? And my answer is, as a reasonable being, I would go call the people who have guns. But as I guess you want me to imagine I am Laura, who seems not to have been a reasonable being judging by the amount of money she was spending on clothes, I would take a baseball bat and go see who is visiting me without my permission."

Leon clicked his fingers. "Thanks, Jill. That's my point. Where's the baseball bat?"

Both looked at the corpse. "Yeah, true," the woman said slowly. "She's just holding her tee, like she was about to undress for bed."

"Well, it could be that the burglar could hide when he heard her open the door, while she heard nothing at all. He went into the closet, thinking he wouldn't be discovered there," Leon suggested. Jill went with him.

"Only that women with closets like this tend to dress and undress in them. So when Laura came in and started to undress, she also went to the wardrobe, opened it and the guy had to do something. He pulled out his gun and shot her."

Leon sat down on his heels and gazed into the distance. "But why did he have a gun with him? I mean, usually those guys don't use the big things, just a knife or something, because it's less noise. And if he wasn't already holding the gun, Laura must've seen him before he shot her. She's the kind of girl who'd start to scream, but no one heard anything, right?"

Jill nodded. "Her neighbour says she couldn't sleep last night and was up until two o'clock. Her French window was open, she must've heard something if Laura screamed. Not the shot, though, if he was using a baffle."

The blonde still gazed into nowhere. "I don't know, Jill. I just don't know if this was just a robbery."

She sat down beside him, looking at the corpse, too. "Your gut's telling you that, right? Well, be careful with those gut feelings, Leon, the chief's not too happy about them and he'll want this solved asap. Which means, yesterday. And I've gotta tell you, to me it looks like a robbery, too. We're not yet sure what's missing, but he broke her jewel box and took some of the items in there."

"But why just take some? Why not take the whole thing if he was at it?" Leon asked. The pathology guys arrived and he and Jill had to move so they could get to work.

"I don't know. Perhaps he was afraid someone had heard the shot. Perhaps he was pretty new in this business and lost his nerves," she suggested and shrugged at his look. "Oh Leon, I'm busy with my drug-dealers. Don't expect me to be very imaginative about robbery cases like this at the moment."

The blonde sighed and threaded a hand through his hair, discovering that Dana had tousled his ponytail quite impressively. He made a new one and grimaced. "Yeah, well, can't do more here right now. Let's get back to the plaza and hear what the chief's gotta say about it before we break the news to Laura's parents."

* * *

Leon stretched and groaned when the bones in his back cracked. "Fuck, I'm getting old!"

"Course you are, you're a dad already!" Jill answered jolly and put one more piece of paper on the big stack besides her computer. The blonde decided not to answer this comment, especially as something came to his mind when she said it. A quick glance at the clock told him it was already past nine o'clock. He jumped up and snatched his jacket.

"Okay, Jill, I'll see ya tomorrow." The blonde woman looked at him curiously and then got up, too.

"You're going to the pet shop?" she asked eagerly and reached for her jacket, too. Leon stopped, one arm in the sleeve.

"What's that going to be, Jill?" he inquired suspiciously.

She beamed at him. "If you're going to visit your daughter, I'll go with you. C'mon, Leon, I wanna see her! You didn't even tell me how she looks!"

"No, Jill, no! Absolutely no way!" Leon folded his arms and put himself in her way. Her grey eyes looked at him pleadingly.

"Just one look, Leon! I promise, I won't disturb you and the Count for long!"

That made him gasp for air and search for words. "You're – why in all heavens do you think you'll disturb us?!" he sputtered at last. "I fucking hell just want to make sure she's safe in bed, that's all, and then I'll be off myself!"

Jill rolled her eyes, but Leon was rescued by the chief opening his door and calling for her loudly. Both flinched at his voice and she grimaced. "Shit. Doesn't sound happy to me."

"Nah, to me neither. Listen, Jill, if you wanna see Dana, come around tomorrow at teatime. Then she'll be awake and all, okay?" Leon suggested. His colleague sighed, scratched her head and nodded at last.

"But don't think I'll forget that!" she called after him, but he was already hurrying out and just waved dismissively.

* * *

Dana was not in bed when Leon arrived in the shop. He didn't even have to open the door to see that, or better, hear it. D didn't cry that way (if the guy did ever cry, that means, for Leon hadn't seen him do so so far), and none of the pets did either. That full-throated wail that sounded as if D was torturing a banshee was unmistakably his daughter's.

Pushing open the doors, Leon stormed inside and was greeted by the sight of a sobbing Dana in D's arms, who was carrying her around, his expression somewhere between exasperated and worried. He whirled round to check who had entered, but the alertness ceased at once when he saw Leon. Relief was visible for a second, and then he pushed the crying child into Leon's arms. "Here, try your luck, Detective. She won't have me today evening, it seems," he said coldly and swept into the kitchen, probably to prepare tea.

Leon stood stiff as a poker, looking into Dana's eyes. The girl looked back up. Her mouth snapped shut and she snuggled into his arms. "Leon."

"Yeah, I'm here," he answered, silently cursing himself. Of all the dumb answers to come up with, this had to be on the top list.

The sudden silence caused the pets to come out of their hiding places, looking relieved, too. Pon-chan climbed onto a chair and nudged Dana with her nose. "See, Dana, he has come back," she told the child gently and Leon discerned from that that his daughter had been worried he had left forever. He barely refrained from rolling his eyes. What had D told the kid?

"Sweetie, I just had to work," he explained carefully and sat down on the sofa with Dana in his lap, turning her so she could look into his eyes. They were still swimming in tears, but beneath them, they were alert and curious. "I don't work at the shop like D does, I have to go elsewhere. Perhaps I'll show you one day, when you're older. I won't leave you."

"I doubt it is the only reason she started to cry," D remarked from behind Leon and made him jump. The kami smiled wickedly and slid into his chair, folding his hands gracefully. "She seems to be quite worn out from moving and got crotchety around seven o'clock. I wanted to lay her to bed, but she started to cry and wouldn't stop."

The blonde looked at the kami in horror. "She cried two whole hours long?" he said faintly. D tilted his head to the side and seemed to consider.

"Not really. She stopped for about half an hour when T-chan bathed her. But afterwards she started again." He took a sip of his tea and leaned back comfortably. "Do you want to bring her to bed, Detective?" he offered generously.

Leon looked down on his child and nodded hesitatingly. "Yeah, I guess I want to," he said, knowing that D hadn't meant it as a question.

He stood up, hoisted Dana on his hip and bent to pick up her plush cat. "Here, lovely, there you go."

"In my bedroom, please," D said from his chair. "The bed in the front room is only for the daytime." Leon rolled his eyes.

"I know, D. I'm not that stupid that I would forget what you told me back in Japan."

There was no reply, and so he strode towards D's bedroom again. Dana, now that she had stopped to cry, really seemed to be exhausted. Her head fell onto Leon's shoulder and he fastened his hold on her, afraid she might fall. She let herself be seated and undressed without any complaints. Her cheeks seemed unusually red to Leon. Well, she didn't have D's porcelain pale complexion, but still…

Pressing his hand to her forehead, he bit his lip. "D?" he called.

The kami appeared so quickly that he nearly suspected he'd been waiting in front of the door. "What's the matter, Detective? Have you already forgotten how to change her clothes?" he asked with a smirk.

Leon shook his head and glared at him. "No, I haven't. But I think Dana's ill."

D's expression changed to worried at once. He put a cool hand to the child's forehead and the other to his own to compare. Then he dropped both and sighed. "Unwilling as I am to admit it, but I am afraid you are correct, Detective," he said quietly. "Moving seems to have strained her quite."

He quickly finished preparing Dana for bed himself, Leon standing by and feeling superfluous. The girl made no sound, and he felt worried. "Is it dangerous?" he asked and swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. D shook his head.

"Children tend to get ill quite quick, but they also heal pretty fast again. She'll probably be alright again tomorrow." He took the girl up and carried her to the cradle in the corner. She pried her eyes open wide enough to look at Leon. They had a feverish glint.

"Leon!" she whimpered. The blonde quickly followed D and the child, who kept her eyes on him while D laid her down and tucked the covers around her. Then she extended one small hand to her human father. "Leon."

Leon couldn't help it, he smiled down at her affectionately and took the little hand in his. It vanished completely, and felt so small and helpless in there. "Yeah, I'm here, honey. Don't worry."

"Story," Dana mumbled, her eyelids dropping shut. D straightened and looked at the blonde with a strange expression in his discoloured eyes.

"I shall leave you," he said. Leon felt it was as much question as statement, but he nodded all the same.

"Yeah, do that. I'll just tell her a story and come back to the front then," he said. D nodded and left, while Leon started to tell Dana a story with a soft voice.

D was drinking tea when Leon entered the front room about half an hour later. He knew he should've anticipated that. What else was he supposed to do in the meantime?

Still, the familiar sight of the Chinese sitting there in the high-backed chair and sipping his tea caused a tight feeling in his chest. There it was. Back to routine. What he had wanted for the past three years, what he had searched for, though he barely ever allowed himself to think that. Only that they couldn't simply go back to routine. Situation had changed. They would have to develop a new routine.

Leon slumped down opposite D and the kami raised his brow disparagingly. The blonde straightened quickly. "You're sure she's gonna be okay again?" he asked, not knowing what else to say. D set the teacup down and poured one for Leon. He only now noticed that there'd been one set out already for him.

"I am pretty sure Dana will be alright tomorrow again, Detective. There is no reason to worry about her," he said softly. Silence fell. Tetsu sidled out from under the sofa Leon was sitting on and vanished into the back of the shop to guard Dana's sleep, sending a last glance at the two men sitting there, avoiding each other's eyes carefully.

"How will we go on?"

Leon simply voiced it. D glanced up, and the blonde thought he could make out insecurity in those mismatched eyes. Then the moment was gone.

"What do you propose? I am here. Dana is here." He watched Leon's face, undisturbed and calm as always.

He shrugged. "I don't know. You tell me. I don't know anything about being a father."

"It is not much different from when you put Chris in my care," D said matter-of-factly. The human nodded absent-mindedly. "I think it would be acceptable if you would share as much of your free time with Dana as is possible for you."

"You mean, dropping by each evening and having picnics on the weekend and such?" Leon sounded slightly horrified at the thought. The kami bit his lip and suppressed a smile.

"Yes, something like that. She also seems to like you bringing her to bed."

"Sure, that I can do," Leon said, sounding relieved. "And – what else do you want me to do now? I mean, you said in Japan you don't want any money, but -"

D cut him off. "I do not need money, Detective, I assure you. You may spend what you earn for whatever you like."

Again silence claimed the front room. Then Leon stood, groaning. "Okay then… I've gotta go now, had a long day," he murmured.

D stood, too, and led him to the door. "Of course, Detective. If you would care to have breakfast tomorrow morning, we usually eat at nine o'clock."

Blue eyes smiled at him. "Sure, I'll try to be there. See ya, D."

"Good night, Detective," D answered softly and closed the door behind the human. Yes, they would have to work out a new routine. It was going to take some time. But they had managed once. Why shouldn't they manage twice?

* * *

A/N: Any comments are appreciated. Was it what you expected?


	3. Can't do without 'em

**Can't do without 'em**

True to his word, nine o'clock the next morning found Leon in front of the pet shop, knocking on the door. The guy from the antiques store next door stepped outside and regarded him with a strange glance.

"The Count has not yet opened the shop," he tittered, sounding as displeased as politeness allowed. "And, if I may voice my humble opinion, you should not impose yourself on him a mere day after he arrived back."

Leon glared at him and tried to decide whether to tell him off or not when the door opened and the kami appeared in the crack. "Good morning, Detective," he said and gave him a tiny smile before looking at his neighbour with some confusion, though of course he was smiling politely. Leon was pretty sure the owner of the antiques store didn't notice D was wondering. "Mr Cheng, is anything the matter?"

He opened the door wider and stepped out. The Chinese bowed deeply to him. "No, of course not, Count D. I was merely telling the detective that you have not yet opened the shop and that he might want to stop by later."

"Oh," D said and smiled an even brighter polite fake smile. "Why thank you, Mr Cheng, how nice of you. But I actually invited the detective over for breakfast. I am rather surprised he showed up on time, though, I have to admit that."

Leon opened his mouth to protest, but D firmly stepped onto his foot and he closed it again, seeing that the little sideswipe had soothed Mr Cheng. He bowed again and retreated. "How very kind of you, Count," he praised the kami, who bowed in reply. Leon was getting fed up with being the only one standing tall. "I do hope he appreciates the honour. Goodbye, Count D. Mr Detective."

He vanished into his shop with a last nasty glare at the blonde, who huffed indignantly and followed D inside, slamming down a bakery box with some force. "Who the fuck does he think he is?" he fumed.

Now that they were safe out of hearing distance, the polite smile dropped off D's face and he wrinkled his brow. "Language, Detective!"

"Yeah, yeah, okay. Still, who does he think he is?! I can visit you whenever I want!"

D sighed half to himself as he hurried back into his bedroom. "Of course you can, Detective. But between 'being able to' and 'welcome to' is a great difference."

"You told me to come around," the blonde pointed out and followed close. D sighed again.

"Of course I did. But he could not know that. I do not tend to let my neighbours know when I expect visitors. Not that you have ever cared if you're invited or not," he added dryly and opened the door to the still half dark bedroom.

Leon, for a moment distracted, sent a questioning glance around. "What's the matter? Why's it still dark in here?"

D put a finger to his lips and carefully walked over to the cradle, bending over it and looking at the sleeping child with worry. "Is she still sick?" the blonde whispered, and D heard worry in his voice, too.

"Not really sick, but also not really well," he answered as quietly and straightened again. "When I got up, she still had temperature, and she didn't wake at half past six as usual. I think we should let her rest while we have breakfast."

Leon nodded and they returned to the front room. Now he seemed to remember what D had also said. "What do you mean, I don't care if I'm invited or not? You never said I should leave!" he protested. D raised an eyebrow and the blonde snorted. "You cannot tell me you minded me hanging around. If you'd really minded, you'd've made me leave for real instead of inviting me to tea. That's not something one does with someone he wants to get rid off."

The crease between D's elegant brows was now nearly as deep as a canyon. "I was being polite, Detective!" he snapped. "You were supposed to thank me and go your way. It's called good behaviour, but as I had to learn, you are incapable of employing it."

Leon's temper flared, not surprisingly. "Well, _excuse_ me! I'm just a dumb human, American to top it, and I'm afraid I didn't learn that shit in school!" he gave back hotly.

D glared. "I do really not know why I moved back again. Dana should not be subjected to such manners."

It was interesting, how much fire could be in ocean-blue eyes. "Well, perhaps 'cause I'm her friggin' father? You can't have minded me so much if you made me her dad."

This was dangerous territory. D didn't want to go there, not yet, not now, when he had to worry about a thousand other things. Like his sick child, for example, or about how to introduce Dana to the people. It was not going to be easy. He had disappeared almost three years ago, and while most people in Chinatown knew or at least guessed what he was, there was no good explanation of how and why he had come back. With a child. A child that looked suspiciously like the detective he'd always been fighting with back then. He couldn't keep Dana a secret like she'd been in Japan. Not with Leon around. He would want to show his daughter to his friends, at least to Jill, and surely to Chris, and treat her like a normal child. Which was fine with D. Only that Dana was no normal child.

When the expected repartee didn't come, Leon looked at the kami and saw him biting his lip in worry. Oh shit. He didn't want to start a discussion about Dana's education right away. He wanted them to get settled down before they discussed those matters. Perhaps if they'd been getting along for some time, D wouldn't think of leaving at once when they had different opinions about how Dana should be raised. And they certainly would have different opinions about that. _Very_ different. Chris had been a good clue in that aspect. Really, thinking about that, Leon wondered why D had even conceded to coming back and letting him see his child every day. It would've been much more like the kami to permit only occasional visits, with sincere promises about his behaviour, if even that.

Looking around for a clue what to do now, he caught sight of the bakery box he'd picked up this morning before coming here. The woman had been surprised to see him again after such a long time, but she remembered Leon. No big surprise there. He'd been to that bakery almost every day in two years. Well, she certainly knew the Count was back by now, too. _Wonder how quickly news will spread._

"Wanna get breakfast now or what? I don't have all day to get to work, you know," he said gruffly and placed the box on the small wooden table. Pon-chan uncurled on the sofa and hopped onto the table to sniff it.

"Doughnuts!" she cried in delight. D's angry face dissolved, but the worry stayed.

"If you manage to behave yourself, we might get breakfast," he sniffed, but the sharp edge was gone. Leon smiled and sat down on his usual spot. It felt good. Even better than it had in Japan. D was home again. They could work on the details later.

"Go on, get your tea," he said. T-chan appeared in the door and decided to sit down next to the blonde, eyeing the box with blatant greed. D muttered, but went into the kitchen and clattered with dishes there. The totetsu yawned widely.

"So, Leon, have you told Chris already?" he asked casually, edging closer to the bakery box.

Leon shook his head. "Not yet. Wanted to wait until D's back again, so he can at least see his niece," he said and tried to suppress the sudden uneven rhythm his heart was beating. Truth was, he hadn't yet summed up enough courage to tell his brother what had happened. He didn't know how to explain, and one thing was for sure, his aunt and uncle were guaranteed to freak out when they heard about Dana. And he would have to tell them. It just wouldn't do if Chris came for a visit and returned home, telling them happily about Dana, when they didn't even have a clue Leon had a child on his own.

Of course the fact that they were kinda suspicious towards D wouldn't make this any easier. For a split second the blonde wondered if D would have kept Dana if he had known how many problems would arise with her birth.

D returned and Leon, feeling that if this was going to be a permanent arrangement, he should perhaps actually do something, opened the bakery box, thus snatching it out of reach of T-chan, who looked disappointed. Both his master and the blonde had been distracted enough that he could have succeeded in robbing the box. But now Leon sat the doughnuts on a plate and placed them on the table. The sheep-tiger sidled away and sulked.

Uncomfortable silence stretched while D poured the tea and they started to eat. The animals lost their interest in the food and stared between them, waiting for one to start talking. It was, not surprisingly, Leon who spoke first.

"So, uh, I guess that Cheng guy doesn't know about Dana yet, does he? I mean, he kinda would've reacted different if he knew, wouldn't he?"

D shook his head. "I have not yet told anyone about my child," he said stiffly.

Leon played with his cup. "Yeah, guess it's kinda hard to explain," he murmured, not daring to look at D. The kami was glad for that, for otherwise Leon would've seen the blush that crept up his cheeks.

"It will certainly be difficult to explain if anyone asks," he conceded.

"If?"

D sipped his tea. "Chinese people know how to behave, Detective. If I do not tell them whose child Dana is, other than mine, they will not ask. Of course I will have to tell them she is my daughter," he added, sounding as if he'd rather prefer not telling them anything at all.

"It'll be kinda hard to disguise she's mine as well," the blonde pointed out. "Not that I can't understand you don't want to tell them you – uh, you got my child, but I mean, one look at her eyes and everybody knows what's up."

He risked a glance at D, sitting stiffly in his chair, hands clasped in his lap. "I still would prefer you not walking around and telling anybody she is your child," he said, voice holding a warning. Leon sighed.

"God, D, you think I wanna attract any attention? I mean, it's been three years since you left, but still, someone might think about questioning you about that incident with your father."

D's face got alarmed and he hastened to calm him. "No reason to panic, though. FBI wasn't too unhappy to loose that Howell guy, it turned out. He was kind of a maniac. And everybody in the precinct's pretty crazy about you anyway. Jill wanted to drop by yesterday once I said you're back, but I told her she should show up someday else when you've settled in again. And it's not like you're mentioned in the records anyway."

He blushed. "I – kind of skipped that you were there at all. You wouldn't believe how easy that was. The only one who knows you were there is Jill. I told her you had nothing to do with what your father did, that you tried to stop him, and she said it was okay if I left you out."

The kami bowed his head. "Very considerate of you, Detective."

Leon tried, but couldn't discern any mockery in his voice. So instead he blushed more and muttered, "Yeah, welcome."

He sent a glance at D. "Doesn't happen to have anything to do with your magical thingy, I guess," he said dryly and coaxed a smile out of D.

"I do believe it has not, Detective," he answered softly. "Perhaps it simply is the fact she never was as suspicious of me as you were."

Another talk Leon didn't want to have right now. Alright, so he got that it was kind of D's raison d'être to avenge extinct creatures on humanity. But did he really have to kill them? And what about Dana? Killing and hating humans didn't really go hand-in-hand with getting pregnant by a human.

But that discussion would have to wait, like a lot of other things. For now he just wanted to wait and see. And hope that D didn't decide to leave again in a week, this time without providing Honlon with an opportunity to sneak their hiding place to Leon.

So he got up and stretched, glancing at the clock. "It's ten minutes behind, Detective," D said without even looking there. Leon rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I got you're special, you don't have to rub it in my face," he brawled, simply to ease the sudden tension, the weight of all the things unsaid between them. "And Jill's not gonna be any happier if I turn up even ten minutes later than usual. Look after Dana, will ya?"

D glared. "Of course I will!" he snapped.

"Okay. I'll drop by this afternoon if I can manage." Leon didn't let himself be impressed by D. Not anymore. He patted Pon-chan's head and strode out. "See ya later, D," he called back. The kami pressed his lips together in dismay and cleared away the breakfast table, turning his thoughts forcefully from Leon to the day ahead of him.

Now what would be the best way to let the population of Chinatown know he now had a child?

* * *

"You've got visitors," Jill said once he stepped inside their cubicle and pointed to the room in which they could talk to strangers, suspects and everybody else they didn't want to have at their working place. "And I wish you much luck with them," she added, grimacing.

"Why? Who's it?" Leon asked and hung up his jacket. His colleague chuckled a little.

"Laura Miller's parents and Gavin McGallen. And it seems her father is quite able to forget 'love your neighbour' if it comes to Gavin. Not that I couldn't understand him fully well."

The blonde tweaked one eye and looked at her face. "Do I want to ask why you're saying that?" he asked.

Jill shook her head. "No, you don't. Just go and see for yourself. And I'd advise you to talk to her parents first, because after you talked to Gavin, you'll feel like killing someone."

"Great," Leon mumbled and strode to the room. "Morning," he said to the three people sitting in there, quickly sizing them up. He already knew Laura's parents, he'd had to tell them about their daughter's death. But his attention was drawn by the young man slumping in one of the chairs. Not only that he was smoking right under a sign that said 'Please do not smoke in here', he was dressed as if he'd spent the night on a park bench. Only that his clothes had been carefully prepared to look like that.

Leon didn't like people like that. If one wanted ripped jeans, they should wear them until they were well and truly ripped. Where was the point in buying artificially ripped clothes?

"Man, first you tell me to turn up at half past eight and then you arrive at ten to ten? Do you have any idea how early I had to get up because of you?!"

Leon's brow wrinkled. He took a quick step and snatched the cigarette from Gavin's hand. Okay, so what if he smoked himself? He didn't do it where it was forbidden.

Well, okay, thinking about it, D had never liked him smoking in the shop, either, but that was something different. And Leon _had_ stopped smoking in the shop. He never smoked around Dana.

"First of all, I didn't tell you to turn up at half past eight, that was one of my colleagues and it's none of your business if I am late because of work. You're in police headquarters, and if you have to wait for the officer you have to talk to, you just do it," he scowled at the young man who wanted to protest, but Leon had already turned his back to him and was walking over to Laura's parents.

"Mrs Miller, Mr Miller, please follow me," he said quietly. They nodded and stood, the father sending a last fiendish glance at Gavin, who slumped back and pouted like a small child. Leon rolled his eyes and decided to make sure Gavin would have to be here until at least midday.

"I am very sorry for your loss," he said to the couple and motioned for them to sit in two chairs in front of his desk. They nodded and Laura's father cleared his throat.

"Thank you, Detective Orcot. She was – not close to us anymore, but she still was our child," he said quietly.

"I understand. Could you tell me please anything you know about the life of your daughter?" Leon took paper and pencil and started to write down what they told him. It was nothing out of the ordinary, and they didn't seem to know much more about Laura's life. One thing was pretty clear, though, and that was that neither had approved of Laura dating Gavin. Leon almost felt sorry for the guy. It wasn't easy if the parents of your lover didn't accept you.

_Like Q-chan_.

The blonde shook his head and shushed that thought away. D and he were not lovers. They just had a kid together. One night didn't make you lovers. Only – sexual partners during a one-night-stand?

Now _that_ sounded really weird. Leon stopped thinking about that, walked Laura's parents out and fetched Gavin from the room. The guy shuffled after him, not even caring to raise his feet high enough to walk. The blonde moaned inwardly.

"Okay, have a seat. I'm sorry for your loss," he told him, remembering he had to say it (order of the chief, who had gotten complaints, though not only because of Leon).

Gavin yawned widely and pried his eyes open wide enough to take in the room. "Man, this is so boring," he commented. "The guys in CSI have much better stuff."

"When did you see Laura last?" the blonde gritted through his teeth, trying not to comment that if people like Gavin, who got a lot of money pushed up their asses by their parents, would get only half of it and give the rest to the city, their offices would be better equipped, too.

Now the guy scratched his head, having some difficulties because of the felted hair growing there. Leon didn't like that kind of music, but he had a certain respect for people with dreadlocks. Though this officially were the worst-kept dreadlocks he'd ever seen and thus not able to enhance respect. "Dunno. Guess it was three or four days ago. We had a little disagreement." He grinned. "Seems I couldn't do her often enough for her taste, but hey, what am I, a sex machine?"

Leon, knowing that Jill was probably right outside the cubicle listening and waiting until she could come back, took a deep breath and firmly talked himself out off simply killing Gavin. "So you quarrelled with Laura when you saw her last?" he asked.

Gavin shrugged. "Man, I can't really remember if that was the last time I saw her! Perhaps I met her in some club the day after, in Arcades or Vamps or one of them." He grinned again, proudly this time. "Haven't been sober for a few days, think I've lost quite some time."

The blonde detective glared coolly. "So perhaps you went to Laura's apartment that evening, hid in her closet and shot her when she came home? Because she had annoyed you?"

Gavin wrinkled his nose. "No, dude, course not. I can remember that evening. I think I was in that casino on the Boulevard. Man, that's fun! You should try it some time, would help you relax. Dude, are you all so stiff? Your girlfriend, man, the one who told me to come and wait in that room, she was all like that, too. You should fuck her more often, will help keep her hormones in check."

"Detective Freshney is not my girlfriend," Leon gritted through his teeth and wished for once to have T-chan here. Perhaps the totetsu could be a help in teaching that boy some lesson. And Leon would bet anything he'd be delighted to get a good bite out of this one.

* * *

Leon slammed the door shut behind himself and hit his desk. "Why are we not allowed to shoot idiots?" he fumed angrily.

His colleague looked up from her report and started to laugh. "Told you you'd want to kill someone after talking to Gavin. He really is a little sweetheart, ain't he?"

Leon glared at her. "Didn't think I'd ever say it, but even D can't hold a candle to him where superior assholeness is concerned."

Jill laughed even louder. "You should tell him one day, bet he'll be happy to hear that," she teased and swivelled her chair around to face him. "Anyway, anything new?"

The blonde sighed and shook his head. "Nope, not really. Laura went to a lot of clubs, did some high-society-drugs and spent a lot of money on looking good for Gavin. Not that he appreciated it. However silly the girl might have been, no woman in her right mind should hook up with such a guy. I can't decide if he just acts dumb or if he's naturally an idiot and the drugs he's taking are actually enhancing his intelligence. Really, no one _can_ be such a fucking dumbass without trying!"

"Hear, hear," the woman sang. "Anyway, it's nearly midday. Whaddya think, let's go grab a bite to eat and stop by the pet shop? I haven't forgotten about that."

Leon suddenly looked guilty. "Uh, Jill, don't kill me, please, but I don't think that's a good idea," he said carefully. "You see, Dana's ill at the moment. Dunno if she'll even be up for visitors today."

Jill's grey eyes went wide and worried. "She's ill? Seriously?"

Leon hurried to soothe her, though he felt a pang. "D says she'll be fine. Just a little overstrained, a little temperature, you know. Small children get sick pretty quickly. He says she'll be fine in no time again."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, good!" Then a thought occurred to her and she swivelled around in her chair to face him completely. "Say, Leon, have you already talked to Chris?" she asked and he flinched. Seemed as if everybody was intent on reminding him of his kid brother today.

"Nope. Not yet." Seeing her glare, he held up his hands defensively. "Hey, hello! Think for once, Jill! I told him I found D, and that was that. He doesn't know anything else. He doesn't know he's back in America, he doesn't know that D's got a kid. And he for sure doesn't know that kid's his niece. How am I supposed to tell that to a nine-year-old?"

"You didn't tell him the Count's back in America?" Jill asked surprised and Leon shrugged.

"I called him when I came back from Japan. That was before I was sure D would stick to his promise and come back for real. I didn't want to get his hopes up."

_And probably didn't want to be disappointed yourself._

The blonde woman looked at her colleague pityingly. "Well, but you can just call him and tell him that, can't you? I'm sure he'll understand. Say you wanted it to be a surprise. Doesn't he have holidays soon? You could tell him you wanted to wait until the Count has settled in again so he could come visit and meet Dana."

Leon snorted. "It's not Chris I'm really worried about. I mean, he takes everything quite cool, no matter what. He'll probably only be happy that D and I stopped fighting. It's my aunt and uncle I'm worried about. They didn't like D at all, and hell knows what they're gonna say about my having a kid with the guy."

He leaned back in his chair and stared into the air pensively. "I don't know how to tell them that. 'Hey Aunt Mary, listen, can Chris come visit in his holidays? Because it turns out I got D pregnant before he left and now I want Chris to meet my daughter. Yeah, D's the one Chris stayed with in that pet shop, and yeah, he's a guy. At least, he's partly a guy.' I'm sure she'll love hearing that. Not to mention what Uncle Arthur will say."

Jill giggled. "Your uncle's name is Arthur?" she asked and grinned broadly.

Leon grinned, too. "Yeah, but problem is, he's every bit as stiff as the name suggests. He doesn't like D at all. He doesn't even really like me. If it was for him, I'd have become some stockbroker or something like that."

"Can't really picture you doing that stuff," Jill remarked dryly and returned to her computer screen. "So you still want to wait until you call them?"

The blonde nodded and glanced at the clock. "At least until I know D's gonna stay for sure," he murmured. "Until we've sorted out this whole mess a little. And then we'll see. I'll just make something up. Perhaps I'm going to tell them D's a cross-dresser. Or he was raped and doesn't want to be a woman anymore. Just some story."

His colleague looked suspicious, but decided not to comment anymore. "If you feel like you need help making one up, gimme a call," she said and looked at the clock, too. "Where're you going? Pet Shop? Why am I even asking?"

Leon shrugged and grinned. "Dunno, you tell me. Just wanna make sure Dana's okay. I'll be back after lunch break. If something happens, call me on my cell."

"Sure. Say hi from me," Jill called after him when he left the room and strode out of the precinct, waving to some other colleagues in passing. They watched him stride out and exchanged curious glances. That special expression on Leon's face usually meant he was leaving for a certain pet shop in Chinatown. But they hadn't seen it in two years. What was he up to now…?

* * *

Leon was unaware of the suspicions his colleagues had. He stopped in front of a bakery and considered bringing another treat for the Count, but thought better of it. He'd already brought the doughnuts this morning. No need to spoil D. He'd rather spoil Dana anyway, but he knew what D would have to say about him bringing her chocolate. No need to upset him either.

So he just made his way into Chinatown, nodding occasionally when familiar faces turned to look at him. He did know a lot of the guys by now, and he registered with some unease that they were regarding him in turn with strange looks, though of course he got the usual polite smiles and bows. Leon wrinkled his brow and tried to discern if the news had already spread so much. But then surely someone would have talked to him about Dana, would they not?

When he arrived at the pet shop and jumped down the stairs, he got aware that a lot of voices were floating outside. And they weren't the voices of the pets. He knew how they sounded. Those were the voices of humans. Was D throwing a party in there?!

He opened the door and was immediately greeted by Pon-chan flinging herself at his legs, as well as four heads turning around on the sofa and chairs. Leon stopped, confused.

"The whole neighbourhood has come by to say hello!" Pon-chan cried at his leg with dismay in her voice.

"Oh," the blonde said intelligently, "Hi. Hope I'm not interrupting."

"Why, never, Mister Detective!" a woman twittered and smiled at him, glaring daggers at the same time. "How nice of you to pay a welcome-back-visit to the dear Count as well!"

"Yeah," Leon said and scooped up the raccoon, on whose face was written what she thought about the niceties.

"They keep coming and going since hours! We haven't had any break since half past eleven!"

To Leon's relief, the curtain to the kitchen was drawn back that moment and D appeared, a polite smile on his face and Dana on his arm. Leon noticed at once how uncomfortable his daughter felt. She had buried her head in her father's shoulder and was glancing at the visitors with frightened blue eyes. The blonde felt a surge of anger both at the people and D. How could he let them gawk at their daughter when she was ill?!

"Hi D," he said shortly and considered going over, but then remembered what the kami had asked of him. Well. So no hugging his kid while those guys were hanging around. Damn them.

The smile on D's face wavered a little, but then got brighter at his sight. "Welcome, Detective. Have a seat, please. We were just about to have some tea. Would you like some, too?"

"Yeah, thanks," Leon answered and sat down on a chair left to the sofa because his usual seat was taken up by a young Chinese woman with huge dark intimidated eyes and a hot body and an elderly woman, assumedly her mother, who shared her great eyes, but not her slender figure. Two other chairs were taken up by a shrivelled old man who looked like a librarian and another man in his early thirties with sharp piercing eyes.

"Mrs Shao and her daughter Lin, Mr Fa, Chinatown's expert concerning Chinese antiques and this here to my right is Mr Chen, one of Chinatown's businessmen," D introduced them politely. Leon silently translated 'businessman' to 'member of the triad'. "I believe you all know Detective Orcot."

They nodded and smiled at Leon. "Oh yes, we all know the detective is kind enough to pay you visits, Count," Mrs Shao said and even Leon noticed the disapproval in her voice. Was hard not to notice it, considering her voice was dripping with it.

D only smiled softly and sat down on his chair, in which none of the visitors had dared to sit as Leon noticed. Dana stayed perched in his lap, but perked up at Leon's sight. She smiled shyly at him and Leon winked at her. "Hello Dana," he said and looked at D's face to see if that had been okay. The kami smiled and bowed his head.

"Oh, Count, your daughter really is a little beauty, isn't she?" Mrs Shao said and questioningly looked at the girl over the rim of her teacup. Leon felt clumsy beside all these people who seemed to know exactly what to say and how to behave. He desperately wished he could take Dana and vanish into the back of the shop with her. Perhaps they could visit Honlon. He hadn't seen his elder daughter since Tokyo.

D bowed his head again, fake smile firmly in place. "Thank you, Mrs Shao. I rather enjoy her looks, too."

"Such beautiful eyes she has, doesn't she, Lin?" the woman continued and sent a sharp glance at Leon. The blonde quickly looked down, not wanting her to get a good look at his own eyes for comparison. "But otherwise she resembles you greatly."

"Yes, she really is a lucky girl to have inherited your looks, Count. Such beauty isn't often found," the 'businessman' cut in and sent a false smile in D's direction. Leon saw hunger in his eyes and shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like it at all. But D could protect himself, that much was sure. Only Dana…

As if on clue, the girl tugged the sleeve of D's cheongsam. Leon noticed that he had changed his attire again and was now wearing a green cheongsam with white roses printed on it. The sleeves were thin white silk, so thin Leon could almost see D's slender white arms through it. His heart suddenly leapt.

D bent down to listen to what Dana was saying, and his face grew solemn. "I do not know if the detective would want that, Dana," he said and sent him a warning glance. Leon wavered between pretending to be horrified and using his chance to get at least some time with his kid. He quickly decided on the latter, visitors or not.

"What does she want?" he asked gruffly. D's mismatched eyes blazed with warning for a second, but then he plastered an apologetic expression on his face.

"I am afraid she is quite fascinated by your hair, Mr Detective," he said formally. "She has not yet seen blonde Caucasians."

"Was your stay in China pleasant, Count?" Mrs Shao cut in, obviously irked that the blonde got so much attention from both the Count and his daughter.

D turned his head to her, still smiling pleasantly. "Yes, it was quite pleasant. The land has changed, of course, but it is still beautiful."

"Wouldn't you rather raise your child in China?" Mr Fa said with a thin voice. "It is, after all, her native land and not as polluted as America."

Leon glared and was about to say something, but again Dana captured everyone's attention. She tugged at one of the cords securing D's collar and nearly choked her father. She was pouting.

"Leon!" she claimed loudly. D's cheeks flushed and he sent an apologetic glance at the blonde.

"Mr Detective, I am sorry. You should not have told her to call you by your first name…"

Said snorted. "Yeah, but 'Mr Detective' is kinda hard to pronounce for a kid this small. I don't mind her using my first name," he said stiffly. D smiled at him. As far as Leon could tell, they were playing their roles quite well. The other visitors were anyway intent on drawing the Count's attention away from Leon.

Dana, in contrast, was very intent on letting exactly that not happen. Again she tugged at the cord, but this time, D was quick enough to avoid being strangled by his child. "Dana, stop that!" he scolded her.

Her chin set stubbornly. "Leon!"

D gave a theatrical sigh. "Mr Detective, would you mind taking Dana for a moment? It seems she wants to take a closer look at you," he said warily.

Leon hesitated long enough for the others to notice, though he triumphed inside. "We-ell, I could perhaps…" he stretched. D stood, glided over and sat the girl down on his knees. Leon placed his hands awkwardly around her as if he not knowing what to do with a child this small. Tetsu, hidden under the sofa, snorted with laughter, as did Pon-chan, who was sitting on the back of Leon's chair. The Chinese people regarded him sourly.

D returned to his chair and poured everyone a second cup of tea. "China may be her native land, but she will have to deal with people from various countries in her life. America offers much more difference in population," he answered Mr Fa as if there'd been no interruption, but kept an eye on Leon. "I will take her there when she is older."

"I do hope the education of your daughter doesn't take up too much time. It would be a shame if you would have to give up your business for her favour," Mr Chen said and looked around appreciatively.

That was Mrs Shao's cue. "Lin would be more than happy to watch her if you have got no time, Count," she chirped and nudged her daughter. "Wouldn't you, Lin?"

The girl bowed her head and shyly smiled at her knees. "I would like to help," she whispered at them and blushed. D smiled politely while Leon tried not to look horrified at the thought of his daughter anywhere near Mrs Shao.

"_So_ not gonna happen!" Pon-chan announced from behind Leon's head. Dana yawned and he tightened his grip on her, not wanting her to fall down. Then he remembered he was supposed not to know much about small children.

"If I need help, I will remember your gracious offer," D assured the women and caught Leon's eyes. "I think Dana is tired. I should lay her to rest," he said, dismissal in his voice. Everyone heard it, and the following wave of disappointment was tangible. It was clear they had hoped to coax more out of the kami. Leon could barely suppress a smile, though he was bursting with fury. He already had so few time. Now he hadn't even been able to spend it with his daughter, due to social niceties. He sure hoped D would find some way to make them regret intruding on family time. Though he had to admit they didn't even know that they'd been intruding on family time.

"Well, we shall of course leave you to your chores then, Count," Mr Fa said with his thin voice while D floated over and scooped Dana up. "We do hope you will stay in Chinatown longer than last time."

The others chimed in with good wishes, offers of help and support and repeated expressions of gratitude that D had come back. He took it all smiling politely with Dana on his arm. Leon was the last to leave the shop, but he chose his words carefully, aware that they still were on the steps and probably listening intently to what he was saying. Polite they might be, but curious they were also.

"So, you're done settling in again?" he asked. D smiled brightly at him and moved so he was standing in the shadow of the door. Hidden from sight, he stepped closer to Leon and Dana wrapped her arms around his neck. The anger ebbed. Leon kissed her on the forehead while D spoke.

"Why, yes, I am almost done, Detective. If you do have time this evening, I might need some help with one of the cupboards. It is terribly heavy and almost seems to have a will on its own. I won't succeed in placing it in the right place without help."

Leon raised his eyebrow at the comparison of their daughter with a heavy cupboard and D blushed a bit. "You want someone to do the heavy lifting, ask one of your friends, not me. I'm not your slave," he replied curtly.

"Of course not, Mr Detective," D murmured politely, eyes sparkling mischievously. They emerged from the shadows into view again. Leon turned, placing the suspicious expression that usually went with one of his encounters with the kami on his face.

"Don't try to talk me into helping you. It's no use."

He mounted the stairs, all-too-conscious that D was watching his back and the four visitors were standing at the top of the stairs, pretending to chat and watching him as well. He felt like some kind of target, and it made his shoulders hunch a little. But well, if he looked uncomfortable, it would at least raise no suspicion. Uncomfortable was a feeling that went quite well with D, too.

Dana, down at the bottom of the stairs on D's hip, started to cry once he reached the top. Leon's shoulders hunched even more. He turned and waved at her, plastering a grin on his face that felt wrong. But he couldn't go down and soothe her, what D was desperately trying to do right now. His lunch break was over, and what would people think if he jumped down and took the girl from D? He was aware that their gazes were burning on him. He probably should walk away calmly, not showing he was affected by the child's cries, to stop suspicions.

Still, he hurried to leave Chinatown behind, sensing the glances and stares he was earning, and wondering how long D would want to hold up the masquerade. It seemed unnecessary to him, and besides, not really practicable. The blonde would bet anything that at least one of the four people in there had gotten the right idea about Dana anyway.

* * *

A/N: Please, can anybody tell me why you are so sure Leon and D will get together? 'Cause I never said that's gonna happen... You may hope for it, but don't count on it. After all, they've got some severe issues to discuss if that relationship is supposed to work...  
Unfortunately for them, it depends on my writing skills if they are going to make it or not. You should really pity those poor bastards. ;-P

Okay, I'll stop trying to create more suspense. Hope you liked the second chapter, too ;-) And again, for more information about my stories and myself, please have a look at my profile. If I should not make regular updates, you'll find the explanation there. And also some comments on my work, for anyone who might be interested in that.

Last but not least, thank you for the reviews! :-)

So long, Enaty


	4. Settling in

**Settling in**

D was aware that gossip rocketed through Chinatown pretty fast. And he couldn't say he had anticipated his return to go unnoticed. He was far too known for that. But the sudden amount of attention he got was most surprising, and truth be told, he found it quite annoying. Especially because everybody who was "just stopping by" got a curious expression on their faces when Leon entered the shop, dropping by for his lunch break.

Truth be told, his visitors already had the curious expression when they caught sight of Dana, but only when Leon was there as well did they start to look thoughtful. Very thoughtful. D didn't like it at all, the way their gazes wavered between the blonde and the child, and the pensive glances he was rewarded with after they'd gotten a good look at those two.

Not that he was ashamed of his daughter. Or Leon. Or even the fact that he'd gotten a child from a human. He firmly tried to tell himself that there was absolutely no reason to be ashamed when Mrs Chang stopped by in late afternoon, pretending to bring a welcome treat, but spending the whole time staring at Dana. Fortunately nobody dared to ask him, and the kami silently thanked the heavens for that small favour when Leon arrived just as Mrs Chang was about to leave again.

She of course didn't. D hadn't expected her to do so anyway. Curiosity was a trait he could understand, though he berated his visitors for not hiding it better.

"Oh, Mr Detective!" she twittered, eyes darting quickly between Leon and Dana on D's arm, which she hadn't left almost all day, due to both all those strangers in 'her' pet shop and her sickness. It only had one good point: D hadn't had to think about how to introduce them to his daughter. Dana had woken around eleven o'clock, and since then had been nearly inseparable from her father, except when Leon came for lunch. Since he didn't want to close the shop, D had gritted his teeth and received the welcome parade with Dana on his arm. They would have had to go through it anyway, sooner or later, so they might as well do it right now.

And now Leon stood in the door, blue eyes fixed on Mrs Chang, irritated. It was clear he hadn't wanted anyone to be here now, not after there'd been so many people here during his lunch break. He'd not even had a chance to talk to his daughter properly, doing what D had asked him to and keeping a low profile around her. The kami had seen the look in his eyes, anger at the people, and worry for the child, and disappointment. And he had wished desperately he could give Leon time with his child.

"How nice of you to come visit our dear Count again!"

Leon almost grimaced at those words and tried not to think about what D probably thought about being called 'their dear Count' by such a woman. She had a broad, flat face, and even by Asian standards, she couldn't be called a beauty. Her figure was plump and she wore quite unfashionable clothes. He would have to ask D who she was, though he remembered seeing her around the souvenirs shop next door, chattering with her friends and sending him strange glances whenever he'd stormed into the pet shop.

"Yeah, thought I'd see if he's still alive after that day," he murmured and tried to be polite, though it wasn't easy. He was still irked that he hadn't been able to have Dana during his lunch break and simply wished to be alone with D and his child. His day had been bad enough without more curious women.

Mrs Chang beamed falsely, and even Leon could discern she was bursting with curiosity. He suppressed a grimace and talked to D instead. "So, D, you all settled in again? 'Cause I got a few questions you should perhaps answer…"

D's eyes widened in sudden understanding and he plastered the fake smile on his face. "Why, whatever could you want from me today, Detective?" he twittered. "I only arrived a few hours ago. Surely even you have to admit that's quite a short period of time to commit any crime, especially when I now have a child to look after."

"Then get the kid outta here and we'll talk about some things that happened with your pets while you were away, shall we?" Leon tried his best to sound angry, but he was too exhausted.

D turned to Mrs Chang with an apologetic smile. "I am very sorry for the detective's behaviour," he said sweetly. "It seems his manners haven't improved since I left."

The woman recognised a dismissal when she heard it and stood. "Well, I'll leave you to your chores then, Count D. Your daughter looks already very tired." She extended a hand as if to touch the girl and D flinched. He hated the human custom of having to stroke and pet small children. He didn't want anyone to touch Dana. Well, with the exception of Leon, and Chris, and Miss Jill would be okay, too. But not Mrs Chang.

Fortunately Leon seemed to feel the same, because he stepped in between, took Dana from his arms roughly and sat her down on the sofa. She didn't protest, but snuggled into Leon.

"Go get your things done so we can start talking. I don't have all evening," he barked. D quickly led Mrs Chang to the door, whose eyes had gone wide. Now she really was bursting with curiosity. But the kami was fed up with pretending.

"Have a nice evening, Mrs Chang, and give your husband my best wishes," he said formally, shielding the blonde and the child effectively from her view. She looked disappointed.

"Thank you, Count, have a nice evening, too. I mean, even though the American is imposing himself on you again," she added, trying to look as if she wasn't interested in Leon at all.

D bowed his head. "I do know how to handle him, Mrs Chang. Believe me, it won't be a problem."

He watched her mount the stairs and berated humans in general and the population of Chinatown in particular for their curiosity. Grandfather would have…

He quickly left that thought alone and went to close the shop, finally having gotten rid of the woman. Grandfather was another thing he didn't want to think about right now, just like the glances from the people. It was – too unsettling at the moment. This was a delicate phase. He had moved back, but only two days ago. Now time would show if he and Leon would manage to raise their child together. If they would even manage to find a compromise about how to raise her. They still hadn't talked about that, but D knew he was not going to be the one starting that discussion.

He sighed depressed and tried not to think about what he would do if it didn't work, too. Instead he busied himself with bolting the door and preparing tea, while Leon finally was able to hug his daughter. She was tired, and her cheeks were still slightly flushed, though D knew the fever was almost gone. He hoped she wouldn't fall sick again after today's strain. But even though she hadn't been her usual wild self when she woke at eleven o'clock, she had seemed quite well again. And he hadn't anticipated so many people.

When he left the kitchen again with the laden tea-tray, Leon was stretched out on the sofa, Dana lying on his chest. Both had closed their eyes, and Dana was asleep. The kami sat the tray down as silently as possible and smiled at the picture, though a pang went through him at the memory of a similar scene in Japan. Today he would not try to kiss Leon. He didn't know if the blonde even remembered that kiss, but better not to try his luck.

Leon opened his blue eyes and looked at him tiredly. "Could do with a nap, too," he said sleepily.

"Did you have a good day?" D inquired, though he already knew the answer. When Leon had had a bad day, he would come screaming and raging at D. When he'd had a really bad day, he'd come and sit and stare into space. Those were the days to be worried about.

"Coulda been better." Leon sighed and nudged the girl, peacefully asleep on his stomach. "She likes lying there, doesn't she?"

A soft smile spread on D's face. "It is a position close to the heart, Detective. She can feel and hear your heartbeat, like she was able to in her – mother's womb." He blushed and dropped his gaze to the table. "It makes her feel safe. I used to sleep with her on my chest when she was a very small baby, too."

"You did, huh? Well, but she's gotta be used to your heartbeat, not mine. I wasn't the one who had her in his body." Leon shuffled a little, but whether because of physical discomfort or psychic D couldn't tell. He tried to keep his cheeks from growing hot.

"That doesn't matter. Heartbeat is something she is used to since she started to exist. It calms her."

"Wonder what it feels like, in there," Leon mused and stared at the ceiling. "Wonder what it feels like to have a kid in there…" His voice trailed off, providing D with an opportunity to finish. But he didn't take it. Instead he sipped his tea, embarrassed at both Leon's question and his own reluctance to share the experience of his pregnancy with him. There was nothing wrong with being pregnant.

But there was something wrong with the way he'd gotten pregnant. There was a lot wrong with the situation right now.

When no answer came forth, the blonde sighed and scrabbled around carefully, trying to stand without waking Dana. Tetsu, lying under the sofa as usual, came to his help, and when Dana was safe on his arms, Leon turned back to D. "I'll just go lay her down. And then I'll be off. Gotta get some sleep."

"Do so, Detective," D said quietly and smiled. "I will see to my pets. Feel free to come tomorrow whenever you like."

He sat for a few minutes after Leon had left the front room without moving. Then he shook himself and sighed, discarding lots of thoughts buzzing around in his head. It was no use thinking them. Only time would answer them, and for once, he would have to wait until it did answer them.

He glided into the back and checked on the pets like every evening. When he finally reached his bedroom, Dana was asleep in her bed and Leon was already gone.

* * *

Leon didn't make the breakfast appointment with D. He would have loved too, but around seven o'clock Jill called him and demanded his help. He had to leave, and by the time they were done, nine o'clock was long since gone. He sulked around until Jill got tired with him and decided he'd be better help after he'd been to the pet shop.

"But I'm coming with you!" she said firmly and wouldn't hear another word. The blonde glared, but decided to keep quiet since it was only shortly after twelve and his lunch break not yet due. She hummed happily on the whole way and greeted the passing Chinese with considerable enthusiasm. Then she turned to Leon.

"Why do they all look at you this way? Did you do something again?" she asked.

He glared. "I didn't do anything! D just didn't tell them Dana's my kid. So they're all wondering whether she is or not."

His colleague looked nonplussed. "Why doesn't he want them to know? It's nothing to be ashamed of," she pointed out. "Okay, it's kind of surprising, considering you two never really did anything but quarrel, but what the heck? Lots of people get kids by accident."

The blonde shrugged and buried his hands in his pockets. "Dunno, ask D. He just said he doesn't want me to tell them, and I won't do it. End of discussion."

Jill favoured him with a thoughtful glance. "Well, seems the kid surely changed a lot between you two. Back then D telling you not to do something would only have resulted in you doing exactly that asap."

He shrugged again and didn't answer. The woman smiled secretly. She'd always thought Leon and D were just great as a team. If the child would manage to make them realise that, too, she would be all-too-happy.

Leon could already hear Dana from the outside again. He sighed as they went down the steps. His daughter seemed to have inherited his tendency to be noisy. He'd never given much thought to D's constant scolding he should try to be quieter. But now he could somehow understand the kami. Dana had lungs, and enough of them to please the whole neighbourhood with her cries, whether she was delighted or sad or hurt.

At least he could make out that at the moment she was happy. That was a good sign. It meant she was alright again. Though Leon tried not to admit it, he had been worried, even though D had assured him time and again it was quite commonplace for small children to get fever every now and then. He _knew_ that. It didn't mean it made him feel any less worried when his own daughter was sick.

D spun round when he heard the door open, Dana on his arm. Leon could tell he had been playing with her, one of those games he didn't understand because they were Chinese. Or perhaps they weren't even Chinese, but kami. He couldn't tell, he only knew they weren't the kind of games he would play with his kid. Too much thinking.

D looked shocked at being caught laughing and playing. But at their sight, he smiled and relaxed slightly. "Miss Jill, how good to see you again!" he said friendly, though Leon saw the alertness in his eyes. However, it ceased the second his colleague opened her mouth to let out a delighted squeal.

"Oh god, she's _adorable_!" Jill exclaimed and stared at the child, totally enamoured. D smiled, pleased.

"Thank you, Miss Jill," he said softly. The woman's eyes wandered between D and the kid, shyly hiding her face in his shoulder.

"She looks so cute. Tell me, Leon, how can a guy like you get such a sweet daughter?"

She nudged her colleague and grinned at him. Leon scowled. "Yeah, you too, Jill. She's better today, D?"

D smiled softly. "Yes, she is quite well again. The fever has ceased completely, and she is already very busy turning everything upside-down again." He sat down with the child in his lap and gestured to them to do so, too. Jill did, not able to tear her gaze away from Dana. She returned the look with wide, blue eyes. The woman smiled.

"She looks exactly like you, Count, but her eyes are yours, Leon. God, how beautiful!"

Then she remembered something, finally dragged her eyes from the girl and smiled at the kami. "Oh, I'm sorry! Congratulations to you! I know it's a bit late, and I didn't know what present to give you, so I just bought this…"

She produced a bakery box from her handbag. D's eyes widened at the sight and his smile became ever more brightly. "Why, thank you, Miss Jill! That was not necessary, really." Leon, who had wandered around the room a little aimlessly, bent down and took Dana from D's lap, noticing that the kami couldn't decide whether to take the treat or leave it on the table in favour of his daughter.

"Go on, make some tea and we'll have lunch," he said gruffly. Dana didn't protest, just hid her face in her other father's shoulder and peeked shyly at the strange woman. Jill smiled.

"Hello, Dana. I'm Jill," she said, with a voice Leon had never heard her use before. He looked at her in surprise, but Dana tugged at his hair and thus captured his attention again.

"Leon, little bear," she whispered and her father smiled.

"Where has D put it, sweetie? Is it in here or in the bedroom?"

The girl pointed to the curtain. "Bed," she said. Leon went over and took the book from its place beside Dana's bed. They sat down on the sofa just as D returned with the teacart. He placed the plates on the table while Leon opened the book and started to read. Dana lost her shyness and wrestled herself comfortably into his lap, listening to the story with bright eyes. "Little bear and his friends," she said happily.

"Yeah, that's right, sweetie, that's little bear and his friends. You wanna hear about them or you wanna eat first?"

Dana's gaze wandered between book and table. She seemed unable to decide. "Bear and cake!" she said at last. D, who had been sipping his tea, sat down his cup.

"No, Dana. Either you eat or Leon reads to you. Not both," he said firmly. The girl pouted.

"But –" she started.

D held up a hand. "No, Dana. Read or eat."

Jill, watching, chuckled and winked at Leon. "At least one of you knows how to raise a child," she teased and Leon grimaced while D smiled brightly.

"Thank you, Miss Jill," he said and turned his attention again on his daughter.

Dana wavered, but at last she decided to eat first. Leon helped her with the spoon, and the three grown-ups were quite amused by the child, though D didn't look too happy when she got half of the cake on her dress. But Leon wiped it away, much to T-chan's delight, who'd already been waiting by their side for any food Dana might drop. The girl lost all her shyness and by the time they were finished eating, she had ventured from Leon's lap to Jill's side, charming the woman completely with her bright smile and those big, blue-golden eyes.

Leon was the one who finally noticed their lunch break was long since over and hastened to shush Jill out of the shop. Dana didn't start crying this time, much to his relief (and probably to D's, too.) They both stood in the door and the girl waved them goodbye. The blonde had to steady Jill with his arm so that she didn't bump into the other people on the street, she was so busy waving back she didn't look where they were going.

She was still chattering on about how cute Dana was when they returned to the plaza. Leon listened to her, both embarrassed and proud. Finally he cut her off. "Jill, stop it! I got you like Dana, it's okay." She looked at him with eyes as bright as Dana's and he realised that his colleague had absolutely fallen in love with his little daughter.

"God, Leon, you're so lucky, really! You've got Dana and D and…" she broke off, mood suddenly changed into sadness.

The blonde cleared his throat. "I don't _have_ D, Jill. All I've got is Chris and Dana. D is – merely the mother of my kid. Not my lover or anything like it," he said and she sent him a glance. He flustered. "What? What is that supposed to mean? You think, D and I…?! Jill, forget it. I'm glad he moved here. This – Dana was a one-night-thing, nothing more. I can't even…"

He threaded a hand through his hair desperately. "I can't even remember that night. I don't want to get it on with D. Hell, I'm not even sure it will work out with him and me both caring for Dana! He can leave anytime he wants, if he wants to. And I'll never see Dana again."

He kicked a stone away and buried his hands in his pockets. "He could leave again," he repeated silently.

Jill looked at him and suddenly took his arm. "I don't think he will, Leon," she told him firmly. "Why should he first come back if he only wants to leave again? No, I don't think he will."

Leon wasn't convinced, she could tell by the frown on his face. She pressed his arm warmly. "D likes you, Leon," she said softly. "And he loves his kid. I'm pretty sure he wants what is best for Dana. And even if you two don't manage to get along, I doubt he would want to withhold her from you, now that you know about her. Don't worry. You'll work it out, you two. You've always worked it out somehow."

The blonde sighed deeply. He forced a smile onto his face, tried to look brave and convinced. "Yeah, guess you're right, Jill. Won't know if I don't try, will I?" She smiled back. "That's the spirit. You can do this, I'm sure. Just wait and see. Everything'll be fine."

* * *

A/N: See? I told you they've got issues... _lots_ of them.

Thanks for the reviews, girls, and have a nice weekend. It's gonna be better than mine in any case...


	5. What a parent feels

**What a parent feels**

The weekend arrived faster than D had anticipated. It was Friday before he knew, and Leon was standing in the door at half past four.

"Hi D, where's Dana?" he asked and came inside, blinking a few times to adjust to the dim light in the shop. Outside the weather was great, the sun had been shining the whole day, and D had caught himself thinking about what they could do on the weekend if Leon was free. Back when Chris had lived at the shop, they had gone to the beach sometimes, or visited the park.

Not that he didn't have parks and beaches in the shop, too. But Leon didn't know that, and D was rather content to keep it that way. Explaining the shop to the blonde was not on his top list of things to do at the moment.

So when the detective arrived and suggested to go to the beach, he was more than willing to say yes. But then he remembered something. "But the beach is too far away to walk there," he objected and placed a teacup in front of Leon, who leaned back and let Pon-chan crawl into his lap. She closed her eyes in bliss as he started to scratch her behind her ears. D smiled. If anyone had reason to be jealous of Dana, it was Pon-chan. Before the girl's arrival, she had been Leon's absolute favourite. Not that she seemed to mind much. He had the distinct feeling that she felt like Dana's elder sister and actually was more than happy Leon loved her as well.

"Yeah, we'd have to go by car. What's the problem? I've got one," Leon said and sipped the tea, wrinkling his nose. "D, you put too much sugar in it again. When will you learn I hate that stuff?"

"When you will learn that I hate the language you use far too often," D gave back unimpressed. "The problem I'm having is that I won't let Dana into your car without the proper seat."

Leon, who had tensed up a bit, relaxed again and patted the raccoon's head. "You wanna come too, little lady? Stop fussing, D, I got a children's seat this week. Jill's friend had one her own kid has grown out of. She said it's for children between one and four years. Dana should fit in it, and if not, we're going to buy a new one."

Noticing that D was staring at him with surprise on his face, he growled. "What? I'm not that stupid, D. Remember, I'm one of the guys who bust people who let their children sit in the car without the proper seat."

D opened his mouth to reply, but a cry from the back cut him off. He stood, sighing. "Well, it seems Dana has woken. I will go fetch her, and then we can ask her if she wants to go to the beach today. Though tomorrow would probably be better, then we could spend the whole day there."

"Yeah, true," Leon said and chuckled because Pon-chan had rolled over on her back and was presenting her belly to him. D went to his bedroom and took Dana from her cradle, noticing that it was getting too small for her. She also was nearly two years old now. Perhaps she should start sleeping in another room. He couldn't keep her in his bedroom forever, she had to get used to sleeping on her own. Still, he was reluctant to do so. His child had always been near him, awake or asleep, and he hated the thought of not being able to look to the side and make sure she was alright.

"Hello Dana, did you sleep well?" he asked his daughter and put her on the changing table.

Dana hopped up and down a few times, smiling brightly. "Dana sleep well," she answered and peeked around. "Leon?"

"Your father is in the front room, Dana. He wants to take us to the beach, do you want that?" She tilted her head to the side.

"Beach?" she echoed.

D smiled. "Yes, I know, you've never been to a beach so far. But you like water, don't you? Do you remember the time I took you to the mountains and we bathed in that pool? You liked it a lot. There's the ocean by the beach, that's a lot of water, too, but it's salty. You know salt, it's the opposite of sugar."

Dana wrinkled her little nose. "Salt yuck," she said.

D chuckled and looked into the smaller cupboard to find something he wanted her to wear today. He decided on a skirt and a blouse that looked almost European and showed them to his daughter. "Here, Dana, what do you think? Do you want to wear these?"

She looked at the clothes critically, but finally nodded and D dressed her. "So, here we go. Now let's go to Leon, shall we?" he said and set Dana on the floor again. She took off almost the second her feet touched the ground, yelling "Leon, Leon!" at the top of her lungs. D followed at a slower pace, still chuckling.

Dana was just being flung through the air by her human father when he entered the front room again. She squeaked with joy and clung to Leon's arms when he put her down. "Again!" she claimed and hopped up and down. Leon complied willingly while D shook his head.

"I really do not know why being swung around like that seems so attractive to her," he voiced. "She got that from you. Humans are strange in that respect. Rollercoaster and such stuff. Why do you like it so much?"

Leon grinned and placed Dana on his shoulders. "You don't have to understand it, D, just accept it. I promise I'll get into the rollercoaster with her when she's old enough."

"I do really hope so," D said and his eyes twinkled, causing the blonde to stare at him speechless for a moment.

Then Dana pulled his hair and he winced. "Dana, stop that, please. I don't like that," he admonished the kid. "So, do you want to go to the beach, honey?"

"Salt yuck!" Dana announced from her position high on Leon's shoulders.

The blonde laughed. "You don't drink it, you go swimming in it, sweetie. We can build some sandcastles if you want to."

"Sandcastles?" the girl echoed and looked questioning. Leon craned his head to be able to look at her and she giggled when the movement caused her to slip down a little bit.

D was behind Leon in a second. "Be careful, Detective!" he cried and steadied the kid.

"Relax, D, she's not going to fall down. I've got her safe. Yeah, honey, sandcastles. I'll show you what that is when we're at the beach." Leon glanced at the clock and sighed. "But I guess your father's right, we should go tomorrow. So what about a nice little walk in the park instead?"

"I'm coming, too," Tetsu announced and wriggled out from under the sofa, surprising Leon, who hadn't noticed the totetsu there.

"Only if you behave," he said firmly and T-chan growled.

"I always behave. I just want to make sure you'll behave."

"Stop it, you two." D put a stop to their quarrel before they could really start. "T-chan, of course you can come. I will just get a jacket for Dana."

Five minutes later they were on their way to the park. D had insisted on taking Dana again, because it would be a little bit too suspicious if they came out of the shop with Dana on Leon's shoulders. So now the blonde was carrying a basket with a blanket and some sandwiches while the girl was sitting on D's hip, looking around with great eyes.

"She's never been out of the pet shop, has she?" Leon asked when she hadn't spoken for more than five minutes. D shook his head and smiled at Mrs Chang, who returned the greeting friendly and darted into the next shop quickly to spread the news that the Count was taking a stroll with his daughter _and_ the detective. D sighed slightly.

"No, she hasn't," he answered Leon's question though and hoisted Dana up more comfortably. "Save the evening she got lost, she's always been inside the shop. I deemed it far too dangerous to take her outside." He felt the glance Leon gave him more than he saw it.

"Why? Why should anyone want to hurt your kid? I mean, other than that Taizu guy."

D considered that. Then he replied in a low voice, not wanting to be overheard, "Detective, I am not sure what Dana is able to do. I wanted to be sure I know what I have to expect before I take her into human company. You will have to be careful, too. If she does anything out of the ordinary, it might cause questions."

"Well, so far she's only strong and flies." Leon tried to loosen his shoulders. They were getting quite cramped by the weight of the basket. "I think I can handle that. As long as she doesn't start to do really scary things, like setting things on fire without matches or a lighter."

D chuckled. "We do have some powers not common to humans, but setting things on fire without any help is not amongst them," he said and brushed a strand of dark brown hair from Dana's face. "Do you like it out here, lovely? We're nearly there, and then you can play with Tetsu in the park."

"D, really. I can't understand a word," the blonde complained and D changed to English again.

"Detective, I am teaching her _my_ language. You may teach her yours." He stepped inside the park, followed by a grumbling Leon.

When Dana saw the grass and the trees, she pointed to them excitedly. "Bàbà, trees!" she cried.

"Yes, lovely, they grow here, too, not only in the pet shop," D answered and strode through the people taking their evening stroll in the park. Some recognised him and pointed, but he ignored them and led the way to a less busy part of the park. There he stopped and sat Dana down. Leon placed the basket on the ground, too, and both watched their daughter.

Dana stood there, frozen to the spot, taking in her surroundings with wide blue-golden eyes. She seemed a little confused. Leon chuckled and nudged D. "She looks like a kitten being out in the garden for the first time," he whispered amused. D couldn't suppress a grin. The blonde was right. The expression on Dana's face was just the same mixture between wonder, confusion and shy curiosity. Then she took a hesitant step, and another, and reached a tree right besides them.

"Shù," she said and laid her hands on the bark, craning her head and looking up into the leaves.

Leon chuckled again. "Don't tell me she's gonna climb up there in a second and we've gotta call rescue to get her down again," he said and knelt down beside his daughter. "That's a tree, honey. And that's the bark. Up there are the twigs, and that here is a leaf." He plucked one and showed it to her.

D left him to teach his daughter the English words for things she already knew in Chinese and spread the blanket. Then he sat down, stroking the totetsu's fur absent-mindedly. He groaned in delight. "Yeah, that's the spot, Count," he murmured. "A little bit further down – oh yeah!"

A deep sigh of contentment came from his throat as D scratched a place right under his chin. "Could stay like this," Tetsu murmured. "The idiot taking care of the nuisance and we having our peace."

"T-chan," D scolded him. "How can you call Dana a nuisance?"

He chuckled and blinked up at him impishly. "You know fully well I love the kid, Count, but you've gotta admit that off lately she's become quite a bit of work. You're busier with her than with the shop. Not that that's a bad thing," he added hastily, seeing the kami's face darken. "But you haven't had any time for yourself since she was born. Perhaps now that Leon can look after her as well, you're gonna get some rest, too."

D's gaze wandered to Leon. He was just kneeling beside a bush, showing Dana something, and the girl was leaning into him trustingly. Perhaps the totetsu was right. He'd not had a minute to himself since Dana had been born. But he didn't know if he trusted Leon already enough to let him take care of their daughter all alone.

* * *

He still hadn't decided on what to think about that matter when Leon arrived early Saturday morning to pick them up. Dana was at first very reluctant to let herself be seated in the children's seat, but with a little help from T-chan and Pon-chan and a lot of bribery from Leon, they at last had her safely in it. By that time, D was already not so happy about their trip anymore, but the blonde wouldn't hear his complaints.

"D, be quiet and wait what the day will bring else," he said curtly and slipped into the driver's seat. Pon-chan on the backseat giggled a little while the kami blushed at having one of his sayings flung back at him.

"I am just saying that perhaps it wasn't the best idea. After all, we just arrived last week," he snapped and wouldn't stop pouting during the whole drive.

Still, when they arrived at the beach, he was soothed by the good weather, the slight breeze and the beautiful view. Of course the ice-cream Leon bought him after they'd settled down in one nice, not too obvious spot did a lot to calm him down again, too. Dana, though, was not happy with the fact that D kept a sharp eye on the amount of ice-cream she was eating. Before she could start to object, though, Leon took her to the water and she forgot about it. They splashed around at the rim for a while, happily accompanied by Pon-chan and Tetsu while D watched and fanned himself.

After a while, though, he got bored with sitting there all alone and called for them. "Detective, it is time for lunch! Would you come back, please?" Leon looked up and hoisted Dana up on his shoulders. It was obvious he liked having her there, and also that the girl enjoyed being so high up. Then he walked back to D, looking all casual and so father-like that D's heart made serious efforts to break through his ribcage. He was so beautiful, with his washed-out jeans rolled up so they wouldn't get wet, and the wide t-shirt, and carefully securing Dana on his shoulders…

"Do you want a sandwich?" he managed when they arrived and hastily turned so the blonde wouldn't see the blush that had crept up all the way to his hair. Tetsu, however, noticed and rolled his eyes, but grinned broadly.

Pon-chan smiled, too, as Leon sat Dana down and stretched. "Yeah, please. Didn't get any breakfast today," he said and followed Dana's tug at his jeans, sitting down besides his daughter. D handed him a sandwich and the blonde checked if there was meat on it. Only when he'd discovered the ham did he take a bite and then looked at the blue sky in bliss. "Damn, I've gotta learn how to do those myself."

"If you're really nice to me, perhaps I'm gonna show you how," T-chan answered and sneaked a sandwich out of the basket for himself. Leon looked as if he'd have to think about that twice. D smiled and tugged Dana into his lap to feed her. She was hungry and gladly opened her mouth.

Some minutes passed in comfortable silence, only disturbed by paper rustling when they unpacked another sandwich. Finally, Leon stretched out on the blanket, sighing contentedly. "Wow, could really stay like this. No idiot colleagues, no criminals, no Gavin McGallen," he breathed and closed his eyes.

"Not in front of Dana," D reprimanded, but his daughter was too busy munching on her sandwich to listen to what her human father was saying. Leon cracked open one eye.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll try to remember. Perhaps," he yawned. The pets chuckled while D sighed.

"Did your colleagues make any comments?" he inquired then, suddenly concerned. The blonde shook his head.

"Nope, doubt they even know yet. But I bet they'll know as soon as the weekend's over. Most of them go to Chinatown to party, and they'll snatch up the news. Jill, though, didn't tell anyone," he added affectionately. Dana was done eating and crawled from D's lap onto the blanket to stand beside Leon, patting his broad chest with her small hands. He blinked at her. "Whaddya want, honey?"

"Sandcastle!" she demanded.

"Oh yeah, I promised you one, didn't I? Well, we've gotta go down to the water again to build one." He looked up at D and indicated the girl's clothes. "You're gonna change her clothes or is it okay if she stays in those?"

D leaned back into his chair and picked up his fan. "I dressed her in those on purpose, Detective. She doesn't need to change," he answered.

Leon pushed himself up again. "Well, but I've gotta change if we're going down to the water again," he said and took his t-shirt off without warning. D's eyes went wide while Pon-chan started giggling hysterically.

When the blonde started to take his jeans off, D turned and hid behind his fan. "Detective!" he exclaimed indignantly. Leon laughed outright.

"Man, D, stop fussing! I've got my trunks on already. Whaddya think, I'd undress in front of my kid? Or _you_?"

D hastily turned back, intending to snap at him, but his response stopped in his throat. Why, why, _why_ did Leon have to look so enticing?! Half-naked humans had no right to look so sexy. They just had _no right_, especially this particular human. It was just _not fair_.

"Be careful," he said faintly and watched as they went back to the water, Leon holding Dana's one hand and Pon-chan the other. Tetsu looked at his master and shook his head pityingly.

"Oh dear, Count," he said and went to have a look at the other food in the basket. "Really, one should think you'd have learned your lesson."

D would have answered, but he strongly suspected any kind of repartee would only have revealed too much. So he wisely decided to keep quiet and instead watched the three again. Leon and Pon-chan were busy with building a sandcastle while Dana hopped around them and enjoyed herself thoroughly. She lost interest in the sandcastle pretty soon, though, and took much more interest in the water coming in and retreating. Leon again took her hand and slowly coaxed her into the ocean some more, until the girl was standing in it till her chest.

D sat up a little more. "What is he doing?" he asked irritated. Tetsu opened one eye and yawned.

"Relax, Count. He's holding her, what should happen?" he murmured and rolled onto his back. The kami watched attentively as Leon placed Dana on his shoulders again and went in deeper. His daughter seemed suspicious at first, but she soon wanted to be let down. The blonde placed her on his hip, but she still wasn't happy.

At last he steadied her with his hands and she paddled around quite happily, accompanied by Pon-chan, who showed her what to do. D could hear her childish laughter and Leon's amused voice as he told her not to drink the salty ocean water. He wavered between being worried and delighted at the sight. Really, who could have known Leon would be such an – affectionate father? He'd underestimated the human from the beginning, it seemed…

"C'mon, honey, let's get somewhere less deep," he heard Leon say and the three returned to the rim of the water. The blonde sat down and let the waves roll over his bare legs, Dana safely tucked in between. She laughed and splashed around with the water. D smiled. Yes, his daughter liked water. And it was so – so – _good_, watching them play with each other, watching Leon take care of his child…

He had to put a hand over his heart before the sudden aching pain could really cause his chest to burst. A big wave rolled to the shore, and it tightened further, with sudden fear now. He watched the wave crash over Leon and Dana, completely engulfing them.

The kami shot up and searched the water anxiously. Just when he was about to leave his place, Leon appeared again, shaking his head like a wet poodle, blonde locks totally mussed. Then he carefully stood and returned to their blanket, carrying a crying Dana.

D hastily went forward and met them halfway. Leon was murmuring soothing phrases and the girl was already calming down again, but she still extended her arms and sniffed "Bàbà!"

"Be quiet, darling, it's okay," D soothed and pressed his child close to his chest, not caring that he was getting his own clothes wet. "It was just a wave, nothing more."

"I'm sorry, I didn't see it coming," Leon excused, looking clumsy and helpless besides them. D hummed and rocked Dana.

"It was not your fault, Detective," he said softly and turned to the blanket again. "We're at the ocean. Such things can happen. She is only surprised."

Leon still didn't look convinced, and the kami had to admit that though the words were reassuring, they had sounded more like "You knew it could happen, you should have been watching out for it." He wasn't sure himself how he'd meant them to come out. But now it was done.

He sat down in his chair again, sighing silently. Deciding to let Leon take care of his child and acting upon it turned out to be quite difficult. To take his mind off it, he fetched a cloth and dried the girl. She was exhausted and snuggled into him.

Leon watched him and cleared his throat. "If you don't need me, I'd go swimming," he said and sounded as if asking for permission.

D smiled up at him. "Yes, do so. When she wakes again, she will demand your attention," he answered, seating the already half sleeping child more comfortably on his lap. The blonde relaxed.

"Okay. You coming along, Pon-chan?"

The raccoon, who had been silent until now, brightened and followed him down into the water again, babbling and enjoying his undivided attention. D leaned back and let Dana rest on his chest. She murmured something indiscernible and was out like a light in a matter of seconds. Tetsu was either asleep, too, or pretending very good to be. D was again left to his own thoughts and musings.

He just couldn't help it. He'd always been a little bit protective where his baby was concerned, the pets had told him so more than once, sometimes amused, sometimes irritated. The kami, though, knew that he had to be on his guard to ensure her safety. The incident in Japan and Taizu's attack had not done anything to lessen his fear.

Leon was a good swimmer, and he obviously enjoyed the ocean water. Pon-chan was sitting on his back at the moment, and they were goofing around. D liked water, too, and he also liked the ocean, but he hated the mass of humans that were here, too, even though they were at a relatively hidden spot. He also didn't like undressing, and if he went swimming, he did so in the nude as was natural. He was not going to undress in front of their curious eyes. No, sitting here in the shadow was much better.

What would he tell grandfather when he arrived? He probably knew already that D had moved back to America, and he would most assuredly not be happy with that. The young kami sighed. The same dilemma he'd faced during his pregnancy, too. Either he hurt Leon or he hurt grandfather. It seemed impossible to make both happy. But Leon had been hurt worse until now. Perhaps it was time to reverse the situation. He could simply ignore Sofu D for the time being. After all, he owed him no explanations for what he did. He was grown, if still young.

When Leon was swimming like this, one could see the muscles working together perfectly, and see how well the human was in shape. The scars didn't distort the body, only told of many fights he'd gone through. Some of those scars bore memories for D, too. There were the three great scars on belly, chest and shoulder that had nearly cost Leon's life and would have, had D not given him the flower because of some dark foreboding.

The kami shuddered thinking about what would have happened had he not done so. To loose Leon, one of the two humans he truly loved…

Involuntarily he pressed his child closer to his chest. Dana sighed and fastened her small hands in the fabric of his cheongsam. D calmed down again. Everything was alright, at least at the moment. Both Leon and Dana were fine, and Chris was, too, otherwise Leon would have told him. There was no reason to worry.

Still, he couldn't help it, and he silently wondered when exactly he had started to be so afraid of so many things.

* * *

On their way back Leon turned the radio on and started humming to the tunes. Dana's blue eyes grew wide. She was clearly fascinated by those strange sounds. D barely suppressed a groan. "Detective, would you _please_ refrain from letting Dana listen to your music?" he said sharply and reached to turn off the radio.

But the blonde stopped his hand. "Nope, I won't. 'S time anyway she gets to know some good music. Not your strange Chinese stuff. Real music. Like in rock music."

The radio guy announced the next song and suddenly the blonde was coughing so hard D was actually afraid he might choke and drive the car off the road. "Leon!" he exclaimed. "What's the matter?!" He snapped his fan shut and dared to lay a hand on the human's shoulder, but he just shook his head. D noticed he had tears in his eyes. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

Leon nodded, still grinning. "I'm fine. It's just – forget it. Nothing."

D settled back into his seat after shooting his daughter a concerned glance. But she was busy listening to the radio. Tetsu eyed both his master and the human suspiciously. Pon-chan was asleep, her head on Dana's lap. For some seconds the only sound was the music from the radio.

Then Dana started to sing along, startling both D and Leon alike. "Dude looks like a lady!" she crowed happily.

D's jaw dropped. He slammed the controls so hard the radio probably got broken, and Leon protested immediately. "Hey! That was _my_ radio you just ruined!"

The young kami barely glared. "You will never turn on the radio again!" he gritted through his teeth. Leon's face twitched. He looked onto the road. Dana continued replying the sentence she'd just learned.

And then both Leon and T-chan burst into helpless laughter. "Stop it!" D screeched indignantly, but it was no use. Both human and totetsu couldn't help the chuckles that bubbled up.

"I'm sorry, D, I really am, but it's just – oh god, Dana singing that song, and you being her father…"

Leon's shoulders were shaking. Dana stopped, confused. Tetsu patted her head and murmured something in her ear, giggling loudly. The girl calmed and settled back, eyelids dropping again. Being in a car apparently made her tired. And right now, D was incredibly glad for that.

The blonde had calmed down again by the time they reached the pet shop, but there still remained a grin on his face. D kept on shooting him angry glances, but couldn't ruffle Leon's feathers for once. The girl woke once in the shop and demanded her human father's attention, tugging him to Honlon's room while D went about his chores in the shop.

Only when he'd seen to all pets did he join the three in the crystal palace. His tea-tray clinked softly when he opened the big doors and went inside. Leon was sitting on the floor, listening to Dana's tales which the girl told more with hands and feet than words, but apparently the blonde got what she meant. He heard D enter, though, and stood to help him with the tray, surprising the kami. He watched in silence as the detective set out the table. It was not perfect. But it was close to what D would have done.

Dana scrambled over, carefully guided by Kanan. "Food," she said and tried to grab one of the sandwiches.

D stopped her hand. "No, Dana. Only when we all are seated," he said decidedly and heard Leon chuckle.

"Lemme guess, your grandfather was pretty strict raising you, too," he said.

For a moment D felt like blushing, but he succeeded in keeping the colour out of his cheeks. "He raised me to have some manners, Detective," he replied stiffly. "And I will not let Dana grow up without learning some manners, too."

The human shrugged. "Okay, if you think you've gotta teach her such stuff. Who even cares if the spoon stays in the cup while drinking tea?"

And suddenly, though the situation was entirely new for all of them, they were back to old routines.

Only when Dana started to yawn did the two adults realise how late it already was. Leon hastily stood and scooped his daughter up. "Time for bed, sweetie," he told her with a smile and then looked at Kanan. "For you too, honey."

The dragon snorted, but she looked strangely content. "Yes, father," she teased and nudged the human. "Come back soon," she whispered. Leon winked at her and turned to the door.

"D, you're coming along?" he asked and the kami got to his feet, too, looking far more graceful than the human.

"I will take care of the tray. You can bring Dana to bed," he answered, but still followed Leon to the bedroom as soon as he'd disposed of the tray in the kitchen.

Dana was just talking to her father, telling him something, and Leon listened to the child already lying in the cradle. She'd taken one of his hands and was curiously examining it. "Many water. Dana like water," she said earnestly. Leon stroked her head.

"I'm glad you liked the beach, honey," he said softly. D smiled.

"It was indeed a wonderful day," he said kindly and Leon turned to look at him while Dana raised her head.

"Bàbà!" she cried. "Good night!"

D floated to the side of the cradle and bent to kiss his child. She let go of Leon's hand to wrap her arms around his throat. "Bàbà like Leon," she murmured.

The young kami blushed. "Ssh, honey, be quiet. You have to sleep now," he whispered and stood again. For a moment he thought he saw mischief sparkling in his daughter's eyes. But it could very well have been his own imagination.

Leon left the bedroom soon after D and silently closed the door behind him. "Fast asleep," he said and smiled. "But as long as she had a good day…"

"I think we all had a good day, Detective," the young kami replied softly. Their eyes met for a second, then Leon cleared his throat.

"Well, gotta go now. My apartment's in ruins," he said.

D accompanied him to the door and they stood in it quite awkwardly before the kami spoke. "Are you free tomorrow, too?" he asked. Leon shook his head.

"Nope, gotta work. My shift starts at two."

"You could come to the shop and have breakfast and lunch with us. Perhaps we could go to the park again," D offered and the blonde smiled.

"Yeah, I could do that," he said. "At nine again, then?"

"Yes, at nine," D replied. He watched Leon's back until the human was out of sight and retired, already planning what they would be having for breakfast. After all, it was Sunday, even if Leon had to work.

* * *

Leon didn't like Mondays. He didn't exactly hate them, he'd never understood why people did that. It wasn't as if Monday was a bad day, like in those Garfield cartoons. It was just another day of the week. The only reason why he didn't like Mondays was that most people had the weekend off. Traditionally, Monday was spent on exchanging the latest gossip. And that was something he just couldn't stand. At the moment even less than usual.

So he actually stopped for a moment and took a deep breath before he entered the precinct on Monday. Like he'd anticipated, a lot of the guys perked up once he entered the department, and Len sidled up to him innocuously. "How was the weekend?" he asked slyly.

Leon strode to his cubicle and tried to get rid of the man. "I didn't have a weekend like you, Len," he answered. "If you care to recall, I was on duty yesterday so that you could spend the day with your kids."

"And I'm very grateful for that, believe me, Leon. Alice is just learning how to ride a bicycle, and I wouldn't miss that for the world. Still, perhaps I'll have to work on Sundays in the near future, too. You might want to have it off sometimes, too."

The blonde detective sat down at his desk, ignoring the bait. "And why would that be?" he asked. "I've always worked Sundays."

"Yeah, but that was before the Count was back." Len had realised he wasn't going to get anything out of Leon with just hints. So he now tried the direct approach. Leon studied the post-it Jill had fastened on his screen and smiled. _I'll be at work at eleven. Just hold down the fort until then. Keep a low profile, they'll be bored soon. Jill_

He took it off and carefully placed it in his calendar. "And why would the Count being back require me to take the weekends off?" he asked Len, who sat down in the chair in front of Leon's desk and scrutinized him.

"Well, any explanation why he came back? You're his best friend, you know," the elder offered, but the blonde shook his head.

"Sorry, Len, I don't know."

That wasn't even a lie. He knew of course that D wanted to make up for keeping Dana a secret for so long. But why exactly he'd changed his mind, he couldn't tell. Only that in spite of all the chaos he'd created, he was kind of thankful Taizu had done it. Otherwise D might never have changed his mind, and there was no doubt as to who would have won that fight. D simply had the better hand.

"Well, you're probably glad, what with the way you two were always hanging out together, and he was looking after your brother…"

Len could be a nuisance sometimes, and he should know better than try the usual tactics on Leon. The blonde let out a slow breath. "Len, I've gotta work," he said. "So would you get your ass outta here and let me do my job?"

The other man held up his hands. "Yeah, yeah, sure. Man, the Count's back for one week and you're already irritable again. One would really think you'd be happier, even if he's got a kid now."

Leon glared. "Len, get out. If you want gossip, go ask someone else. I can give you a few addresses in Chinatown where you're sure to get all the information you want, but leave me alone."

"What a pity the Count's not homosexual at all, apparently…"

"Out!" the blonde bellowed and Len left his cubicle, chuckling. Leon clenched his teeth and muttered some of the words D hated under his breath while he started his computer. Even if he'd anticipated nothing else, he hated the grapevine with all his heart. Now he could only hope the suspicion that he was the father of the Count's kid hadn't spread into the plaza as well.

He was very grateful when Jill arrived shortly after eleven. By that time, four other colleagues had stopped by, trying to coax more about the Count's mysterious reappearance and child out of him, and Leon was getting real fed up with that.

"Thank god you're here!" he cried out at the sight of his colleague.

Jill chuckled and hung up her coat. "So, you had a nice day already?" she teased and the blonde grimaced.

"Len didn't even let me sit down before he started asking questions," he complained and his superior laughed out loud.

"Not surprisingly, Leon," she reminded him. "No one expected to ever see the Count again, much less with a child in tow."

Leon's blue eyes were weary. "Well, at least that they didn't ask," he grumbled and silenced at once. Christian had rounded the corner.

"Hey Leon, is it true the Count's back?" he called. "My wife said her friend saw him in the park last week! With you _and a kid_!"

Jill and Leon exchanged a glance, then the younger sighed deeply. "Yeah, it's true, he's back. Anything else?" he asked curtly. Christian stopped, looking confused.

"One would expect you'd be happier about that," he remarked and Leon growled.

"Considering that you're the sixth today who's been asking me the same stupid questions, no, I'm most assuredly _not_ happy!"

"Oh." His colleague caught Jill's wink and retreated again. "Well, if you stop by the shop, make sure he's not going to leave again. You were unbearable."

The phone rang and Jill got the call while Leon's face grew red and angry. He snarled at Christian, grinning contentedly with the effect of his remark. However, before he could start to yell at the elder, Jill put down the phone. "Laura's mother," she informed her pissed colleague, whose face lit up a bit. "She says she wants to talk to the one leading the investigation. That would be you. D'you have time to pay her a visit? She says she's free the whole afternoon."

Leon heaved a deep sigh of relief. "Jill, you're a lifesaver!" he breathed. "Thank god I can get outta here!" The woman bit her lip so not to laugh out loud.

"Yeah, I can imagine. Get off. And try to take long enough that you can go straight to the pet shop after. I'll do what I can to shut them up."

She got a last thankful glance and then Leon was out. Jill shook her head and laughed out loud. She didn't want to be here on the day when her colleagues found out that Leon was Dana's dad. The precinct was going to explode.

* * *

D didn't like Mondays either. But that was for the simple reason that Westerners took Sunday off and never came to his shop on Sunday so that everyone who'd thought about getting a pet on the weekend turned up on Mondays. Consequently they were quite stressful days.

And today he'd not only had to deal with the usual customers, but also with some of his high-society acquaintances who'd heard about his return during the weekend. Right now Mrs Battory was occupying the spot on the sofa where Leon used to sit, and the kami had to admit that off lately, he started to think that maybe he would tell his customers to sit elsewhere. It was irritating, to see someone else sit in the detective's place.

"… my little Anessa, you probably remember her, dear Count, she wanted to come visit you too, but she's so busy at the moment with her studies…"

D smiled and nodded from time to time, keeping his thoughts about the things Anessa Battory was busy with to himself. He would pray the girl would not come visit him. He'd never liked her, and especially not after that kiss. How could she dare to impose a kiss on D? Couldn't she tell he was well out of her reach?

For a split second he wondered if Mrs Battory thought he was out of reach for her daughter. Probably not. Once humans had attained a place in high-society, not even god was out of their reach anymore, and certainly not a mere kami. If she knew that another one, not even a man from high-society, had claimed D for his own, though unaware of it…

The thought stirred unwanted memories of his grandfather's words. _As much as I despise this uncouth human being, I am pretty sure you will regret this decision someday._

Well, if it made Sofu happy, he'd been right. But D somehow doubted his grandfather would rejoice at having been right in this respect.

Firmly he turned his attention again to the woman in front of him, counting the seconds until it wouldn't be impolite to turn her out. What luck that he'd laid Dana to sleep in his bedroom this time, remembering what had happened in Japan. Otherwise –

D shuddered for a second imagining what a woman like Mrs Battory would ask seeing the child. Better to have Dana out of immediate reach in the bedroom than in one room with that woman.

Unfortunately Sofu D wasn't likely to be ignored. By the time D had gotten rid of the curious woman and returned to the bedroom, a familiar figure was hovering over the cradle, causing the child in it to laugh. D clasped his hands in front of him and prepared for the storm to come.

"Welcome, grandfather," he said softly. Q-chan turned around, scrutinizing the young kami with little black eyes. Then a soft woosh swept through the room, accompanied by warm wind, and Sofu D stood before him, golden eyes and face blank.

"You and your child seem to be quite well," he said, bending over the cradle and extracting Dana from it. D's fingers twitched to snatch his daughter away, and he would have, had it not been for the fact that Dana made no sound of protest against being handled by a stranger. She just kept on laughing and settled on her great-grandfather's arm like she would on D's or Leon's. It was obvious she sensed no danger from him. Still, D stayed alert. If she made the faintest sound of protest, a cry, a complaint – he would push his grandfather away and bring his child somewhere else.

Sofu D noticed the tension in his grandson's body. A wry smile appeared on his face, so similar to D's own and yet, completely different. "I see your protective instincts are still working. You need not worry, at least not for your child. Her blood is soiled, but she still is of our kind. I won't hurt her."

D relaxed, but only slightly. And he remembered his manners. "Would you care for some tea, grandfather?" he inquired politely. Sofu nodded and stroked a finger over Dana's cheek. D flinched at the sight of the sharp long fingernail on the sensitive skin. But Dana didn't share her father's fear. She smiled at her great-grandfather and grabbed his fingers with her small hand. Blue eyes were turned up at him. Golden eyes looked back, finding golden spots in blue oceans.

Sofu's face softened. Hesitantly he pressed the girl to his chest, careful not to grip too tight, and almost as if afraid she would resent his caress. But she snuggled against him, leaning her head onto his shoulder. Perhaps the soft sound was a sigh of relief. But it could as well have been a rustle of silken clothes.

D, watching, relaxed at last. A small smile appeared on his lips and he unclasped his hands, making an inviting gesture to the front room.

"It will be more comfortable if we sit down there, and if Dana wishes to play, all of her toys are there," he said. His grandfather followed and sat down on the sofa, keeping his great-granddaughter in his lap. Dana seemed content enough for the moment, so D let her be, but reminded her that she couldn't go play once they'd started drinking tea. Sofu D hid a smile behind the girl at hearing his grandson's words. It was what he had been taught, too.

They sipped their tea for a while in pensive silence, D hoping that Leon wouldn't burst in right now. His grandfather had never really liked the human, and he remembered very well what his reaction to the pregnancy had been.

"So, you have been convinced to raise your child here." Sofu D sat his cup down and helped Dana conduct her spoon into her mouth.

D bowed his head in affirmation. "After Honlon lured the detective to Japan and revealed that he actually has two daughters, I decided I would let him have his chance. Dana was very happy about it."

Sofu D looked down on the child in his lap. "I do not want to discuss your education, my grandson. I realise that she as a hybrid requires different raising than you and your father. But why have you changed your mind so greatly? The last time we talked about him, you didn't even want him to know about her." He actually petted the girl's hair, busy with cake and spoon. "Not that I was unhappy with your decision."

He looked at the younger sharply. "I'd have preferred if you'd stayed with it."

"I have been forced to rethink my decision, grandfather," D answered softly. "I have been forced to rethink quite a lot of things. You do not know, probably, that Dana was kidnapped in Tokyo. Leon brought her back to me. The least I could do was permitting him to take responsibility for his child."

An eyebrow was raised over a golden eye. "And you do honestly think the human will be able to raise her in the proper way," Sofu stated flatly.

D sighed. "Grandfather, I know you never liked the detective." He ignored the snort that followed this statement. "But he is not as bad as you assume. He cared for Chris as well."

"He made you look after the boy," Sofu pointed out. "He is rude, inconsiderate, uses foul language and has no tact. He is in no shape to raise a child as precious as my great-granddaughter."

D's mismatched eyes went wide at his grandfather's words, and he sat and stared at him dumbfounded. The golden eyes were blazing and Sofu's arm clutched Dana protectively. D cleared his throat.

"Grandfather?" he asked, nonplussed. The eldest D smiled grimly.

"Why what, my grandson? What is it? Are you wondering why am I concerned about my great-grandchild?" The smile grew sad. "You could as well ask, why am I concerned about you? Why did I help you give birth to a marred child at all?"

He looked down on Dana again, small and vulnerable in his lap. His hand stroked the girl's hair. "A child is a gift, D. Every child, even one marred by human blood. I have come to realise this, though I still do not approve of the fact you got one. Perhaps she will be able to effect change, being two worlds in one. But I do not want her to be overly influenced by the human ways. It is bad enough I have lost you to a human."

D knew how to read kami eyes. What he read in his grandfather's eyes now was mostly worry, but also pain. He cleared his throat again.

"Grandfather, you have not lost me to a human. I am still your grandson," he said, voice quivering slightly. Sofu D smiled a sad smile.

"Then you want me to believe you do not love this human? The father of your child?" he inquired and held up a hand to forestall any answer. "No, do not answer. You would have to lie, and I would prefer you not lying to me, whether on purpose or not."

D closed his mouth again and waited what else Sofu would have to say. Dana had stopped eating. She knew something was going on. He wondered if his daughter understood what it was.

Sofu's gaze dropped again on the child. "I will not interfere with your decisions. She is your child, not mine. But I want you to know that I do not approve of the human's participation in her education. I admit he has his good points, but he is still a human, and a very questionable one."

"I have dealt with much more questionable human individuals," D pointed out softly. "And Leon has changed. He is not like you knew him anymore. I want Dana to know her father. I want _him_ to know his daughter."

"You are very different," Sofu D said quietly. "You and the human. You will have to make many compromises. He will teach your child things you may not want her to know. He will teach her ways you cannot approve of. Do you not understand why I do not want this? He will hurt you and the child. On purpose or not, he will do or say something that hurts you. He will never be fully able to understand your very nature."

D took a deep breath and looked straight into his grandfather's golden eyes. He was like him in many ways. But he was also not like him. Neither was he like his father. Both combined, and yet, something completely new. Perhaps nature had meant him to be something different.

"I am aware of that, grandfather. But I am also aware that I will never be able to understand Leon fully. I – will hope for his acceptance and be content with that. He does not have to love me, or love what I am. I want him to love his child, and that he does. I do not ask more."

Sofu D stared at him for a long moment. Then he sighed. "I knew you were a dreamer since your childhood days. I can only hope your dreams will not be shattered."

It was then D realised what his grandfather wanted to tell him and was not able to say out loud. He laid a hand on Sofu's hand. He flinched, but did not pull away.

"Grandfather, I will not forget who or what I am. I will not forget you or what you taught me. Animals leave their parents when they grow, and most of them forget them. But I am no animal. You have to let me go, as I will have to let Dana go one day. But that does not mean you will loose me."

Sofu D bowed his head in affirmation. "It seems your parenthood has made you wiser," he said quietly. "Very well, then, my grandson. I have to return to my chores, as do you. I wish you luck with your task. Do take good care of my great-granddaughter and yourself."

He lifted Dana from his lap and handed her to D. The girl buried her fingers in his silken sleeve and looked up at him with pleading eyes. The younger kami carefully pried them loose.

"Stay!" she demanded with a small voice. D looked at Sofu' stricken face.

"I concur. You are welcome to visit anytime you wish, grandfather. You and father. Dana is your family as well, and perhaps father might be happy to play with his – sister."

"I will think about it." Sofu D turned on his heel, and Q-chan fluttered in front of D's face. He felt tiny whiskers brush his forehead as the little batbunny kissed him goodbye and then did the same with Dana.

He stood in the front room for a long while after grandfather had left again, Dana in his arms and deep in thought.

* * *

Leon sat down, feeling uncomfortable in these surroundings. Laura's mother resumed her seat opposite him and offered a cup of tea. Suddenly the blonde was glad D had taught him how to drink tea properly. Not that he'd ever done what the kami told him, out of sheer stubbornness, but he remembered what D had screamed at him when he did it wrong.

Mrs Miller looked pleased. He couldn't be doing bad. "So, what did you want to tell me?" he asked and sat down the cup. The black-clad woman flushed slightly and intertwined her hands. She was nervous, and a little embarrassed. Leon wondered what she was going to tell him.

"Detective, my daughter –" short pause, sniffle. "I mean, Laura. She – she might have been a little – wild, but that was just her youth. She was no bad girl, and I _know_ she didn't do anything wrong." Her voice sounded defendant. The blonde stared and tried to find out why.

"Mrs Miller, of course Laura did nothing wrong." _Other than spend good money on silly shoes and be stupid enough to open that closet_, he added silently. "She surprised a burglar and got shot by him. It's tragic, but there's nothing your daughter could've _done_ to provoke this."

"No!" The woman shook her head vigorously and pressed her lips tightly together. "My Laura wasn't shot by a burglar! Detective, I had a dream last night – a dream in which Laura told me what happened!" Her eyes shone with an almost fanatic light and Leon recoiled slightly. _Oh good god, she's one of those women. Could've saved my time and went to Dana instead._

But now he was here, and there was no way he could escape before she had told him everything she wanted to tell him. So he prepared himself to listen to a lot of fantastic crap.

But surprisingly, Mrs Miller was quite accurate in fact. "My Laura never was a bad girl, Detective. She went to church with us, she prayed regularly and she wanted to become a nun. Until she met _Gavin_." She pursed her lips disapprovingly. Leon harked up. Perhaps this was going to be interesting anyway, though he didn't yet know what the woman would spill else.

Her face was determined and set, though it obviously pained her to talk about Laura's life so openly. "It was, I am sorry to say, our own fault they met each other. Gavin's parents own the seminary one of our sons went to, and they had a celebration to which we were invited. None of us knew he would be there. He was already living on his own back then, and the only reason that his parents hadn't disowned him was that they still hoped he would find his way to god again."

She didn't sound as if she thought it very possible Gavin McGallen would ever find anything but the highway straight to hell. Considering his own meeting with the guy, Leon had to concede with her. Gavin surely wasn't trying very hard, if he ever thought about seeking a way to god.

"Anyway, it was this celebration where they met each other. Laura fell in love with him at once, and from that on, she became a whole other person. Neither my husband nor I recognised the girl I had given birth to anymore. I prayed she would see Gavin for what he was, but god had other things in mind."

Now her voice was quivering. Leon kept silent, afraid that if he asked a question she would stop. The woman seemed to have forgotten his presence, her look was turned inwards as if she was reliving her daughter's life again.

"She didn't listen to anyone, not to me, her father, not even to her sister, who's been her best friend since they were children. She abandoned us, went to live on her own and started working in a gallery. I don't want to say it's a bad place to work at – in fact, it is a quite good gallery, and the owners are pleasant people. But now Laura was all on her own, without guidance in this world, for she stopped going to church, too, because Gavin thought it was not necessary."

Leon was pretty sure Gavin had used another word to describe what he thought going to church was. But he strongly suspected Mrs Miller would even be able to understand it. Or willing to understand it, rather, because she seemed to be familiar with the outside world, though she disapproved of it.

Now she lowered her glance again and blushed slightly. "I am afraid Gavin convinced my daughter – to conduct – certain actions which god has meant only to be conducted by married couples."

In short, Gavin had fucked Laura. Well, that wasn't quite news, but it surely explained why Laura's mother was pretty pissed by the guy. Her cheeks were burning red.

"I went to Laura about half a year after she had moved out. I wanted to talk to her about Gavin, I told her it was not too late to come back if she regretted her sins. But she laughed at me and told me for Gavin's love she would willingly burn in hell."

Though Leon wasn't particularly sympathetic towards people of Mrs Miller's beliefs, he felt sorry for her. If one believed in it, the thought one's own child was damned for all eternity must really be painful. For a second, Dana's face appeared in his mind, her sweet, innocent smile and the way she looked at Leon, so trustingly.

He gulped and quickly pushed the picture away. His own child had no place in this investigation. "I understand, Mrs Miller," he said, softer than he'd intended to. She glanced up at him, a quick, a bit tearful look.

"Tell me, Detective Orcot, do you believe in heaven and hell?" she asked and Leon shook his head. "Do you have children yourself?" she inquired further, clasping her hands tightly in her lap.

The blonde hesitated, then he nodded. "Yeah, I've got a little daughter."

It felt strange, saying this. _I've got a little daughter._ It felt so – unfamiliar. Like he still had to learn to say it. But it also felt good. Very good. _Yeah, I've got a little daughter. She's my kid._

"Then even though you don't believe in hell, you must know how I felt about Laura," the woman said silently. "It hurt me, seeing her this way, dedicating all her life and happiness to this man who didn't even deserve it. I am not narrow-minded, Detective. My eldest son decided to leave us, too, when he was 18, and now he's living with a woman. I don't think it's right not being married, but he is still my son and I love him. I wouldn't have held it against Laura if she wanted to try it. I would have welcomed her with open arms if she decided to come back. But Gavin – he – I – he is just disgusting!"

Leon tried very hard not to imagine Dana with a guy like Gavin. Thanks goodness she was still a kid. Far too young to even think about getting herself a boyfriend, and without any doubt D would take care of any guy approaching her when she was old enough if he didn't treat their daughter appropriately.

For a second he stared, horrified, at the wall. What was he _thinking_ here?! God, he'd never seen anything wrong with having a little fun, but he wanted to forbid Dana to have a boyfriend?!

No, that was not the point. He only didn't want Dana to have a boyfriend like Gavin McGallen. She was far too precious to be going out with that kind of scum.

God, he was becoming strange, too. What was it with that kid that she could change D and him so much?!

"I know what you mean," he told Mrs Miller nonetheless, who was watching him with interest. "He's – not quite what I would want as my daughter's boyfriend, too."

She nodded vigorously. "As I told you, Detective, I am not narrow-minded. But I have seen how Gavin treats his girlfriends. I didn't want my daughter to be one of his toys, but she was determined not to hear one bad word against him. Not even when I told her I had heard that Gavin – well, that he –" She blushed so furiously that Leon blinked astonished. Until now, she hadn't seemed that prude to him.

"That Gavin is what, Mrs Miller?" he asked and leaned forward.

She hesitated. "I don't want to tell wrong about another one, Detective, even though I have more than one reason to speak bad about Gavin. But well, I am – I must admit, I find it kind of believable that he – I have heard that Gavin does not only have girlfriends."

She glanced at her hands, blushing even more. Leon leaned forward eagerly. "You want to tell me Gavin McGallen is homosexual?" he asked unbelievingly.

She nodded, not looking at him. "It is what I heard, Detective. I cannot tell if it is true, but I have thought about it, too. It is just – a feeling. I cannot tell if I am right. But you see, even the thought that my daughter might – love a man who is – that way – it was nearly killing me. Of course, Laura would hear nothing of it," she added bitterly, the blush dying down again. "She laughed at me and said if I wanted to believe what my bigots are telling me, it was my problem and I should keep such vile things to myself instead of telling them to everyone."

Well, it seemed that Laura and her mother had had a quite difficult relationship thanks to Gavin. Leon disliked the guy more and more each minute. He had the feeling that he'd taken advantage of Laura's naivety and her inexperience with men. But on the other hand, it could as well be that someone from Laura's own family had felt she disgraced them and decided to kill the girl. Such things happened, and not as seldom as most people thought. Leon had had some cases like that himself.

Still, his gut was telling him that something was just plain wrong with the guy. Mrs Miller might be weird, but she seemed harmless enough to Leon. "What about your dream, now?" he inquired, deciding that it would be a good way to find out how fanatic she really was. She looked up at him and her face got dreamy.

"Detective, I know it's not considered proof in front of any court. But I swear, I dreamed my Laura appeared. She wanted me to know that Gavin killed her. She wanted him to be brought to justice. I am not crazy," she added, seeing Leon's unbelieving face. "I do believe in dreams and visions, but I know one has to be careful. They might as well have been sent by the devil to make one loose one's way. But I am sure this one was real. Laura really appeared. She said Gavin killed her to keep her quiet. I don't know why he should feel like he had to keep her quiet, for she was so in love with him she would've done anything he asked of her anyway, but I am convinced it is true all the same."

Leon sighed deeply and slumped back a bit. "Mrs Miller, as long as I can't find a reason why Gavin should have wanted his girlfriend dead, I can't do anything," he pointed out softly.

The woman nodded. "I know, Detective. Believe me, I am already very grateful that you even came here and listened to me," she assured him. "I know very well what most police officers think of people like me. Thank you for not acting like they usually do."

For a moment Leon wanted to tell her that he still thought she was at least a little bit nuts. But then he remembered D and the pet shop. He probably was nuts, too. He had a dragon kid, talked to animals as if they were humans and shared a biological child with someone who wasn't even human. That counted as 'nuts' in his opinion, too.

Well, then he was nuts. It was just as well. He couldn't help it now anymore anyway. Dana and Honlon were there, and D was here, too. Get used to it or die trying, that had always been his motto.

He was so busy realising the full extent of the changes in his life he nearly didn't notice Mrs Miller had started to talk again.

"Please, Detective, promise me you will at least try to treat this not like a common burglary. Please have a look at Gavin's alibi as well," she pleaded.

Leon smiled at her and got up. "I will, Mrs Miller," he said reassuringly. "Believe me. I don't want my daughter to grow up in a world with guys like Gavin either. And certainly not if they killed their girlfriends."

* * *

A/N: Yes, this time it was quite long. Do I have to apologize for that? Anyway, hope you had a nice weekend and thanks for the review, bc :-) I fully sympathize with too much studying... -.-


	6. Kids' day at the precinct

**Kids' day at the precinct**

The days went by, one by one, and slowly, they established some kind of routine. Leon dropped by as often as he could manage, most of the time in the evening. He stayed until it was bedtime for Dana, then brought her to bed. Sometimes he managed to come around for breakfast or even lunch. He and D didn't talk much, and if, it was about Dana. About getting American children clothes for her. About whether Leon should bring chocolate for her or not. Leon won the first argument. D won the second. And the days ticked by, each allowing them to settle in more, making them feel more comfortable with the situation in itself, but also making the need to clarify certain aspects of it more urgent.

* * *

Leon was busy trying to figure out how the guy could've killed Laura while several other people (none of them really trustworthy, but he couldn't prove he'd bribed them, either) swore he'd been at the Casino at the same time, loosing all his money again. He _knew_ somehow that they were speaking the truth, though. But he also knew that Gavin McGallen had killed his Laura.

The blonde sighed in frustration and rested his head in his hands. He wished nothing better than to bust the guy, but he couldn't do so as long as he had no evidence.

Sudden noise from outside his and Jill's cubicle made him look up just in time to see the Count turn round the corner, forcing his way directly to Leon's desk with Jill trailing behind him, obviously not knowing whether she should stop him or not. By the look on D's face, Leon could tell he was pissed. And who wouldn't be when the little two-year-old on his arms just wouldn't stop screaming?

The blonde was still busy gaping at the new arrivals, but D didn't give him time to recover. He pushed Dana into his arms and said with a voice that could've frozen the desert: "There you go, Dana. There is your father. I do hope you are satisfied now that you've caused me to leave the shop and a customer behind and blessed the whole precinct with your fit."

Then he turned on the spot and rushed out, leaving Leon, Jill and Dana behind, completely speechless. The girl fastened a small hand in Leon's shirt and kept crying, but now silent. Her father was still struggling to get around the events, and Jill – well, Jill couldn't decide whether to stare at Leon and his kid or at the back of the retreating kami. Her grey eyes were as big as saucers.

At last Leon managed to recover a little bit. He stroked Dana's hair, soothing the girl. "Dana, sweetie, stop crying. Bàbà's not really angry with you. He's just – a little overstrained."

It at least seemed to calm his daughter down. She sniffled, stopped crying and leaned her head on Leon's shoulder, looking completely exhausted.

Jill, on the other hand, snapped out and looked at him incredulously. "If you ask me, the Count was really, really pi – angry," she quickly corrected herself and sat down heavily. Leon was staring at the kid in his lap more than a little helpless.

"Dana, what did you do to get him so angry?" he asked, nonplussed. His daughter looked up at him with bright blue eyes that were still swimming in tears.

"Dana pet Tetsu and Tetsu get angry, but Dana do not anything!" she claimed.

Jill's mother instincts kicked in and she sighed. "Oh god, she's so cute!"

"Yeaaaah," Leon stretched, eying the kid uncertainly. He could just picture what had happened. Dana had been playing with T-chan, and like always lately, she'd probably been a little rough. The totetsu loved the kid, but he also loved his body in one piece. He'd scolded her and Dana had started to cry. D had been forced to leave his customer to look after his daughter, but since their arrival in America, Leon had been Dana's favourite parent and consequently he was the only one who could soothe her. Stubborn as his daughter was, she'd defied long enough that D lost his nerves and carried her to the plaza to hand her over to Leon.

And now he was stuck with his kid in the middle of a murder investigation. Just. Great.

Of course the chief chose that exact moment to leave his office and investigate the cause of the uproar in his plaza. Seeing Leon sit there with a kid on his lap, he almost recoiled. Almost.

"Orcot! Whose child is this and what's she doing here?!" he bellowed instead. Dana whimpered and started to cry again. Leon shot him a fierce glance.

"Great, chief, that's just the right thing to do!" he barked back. "I just got her to calm down!"

"Who's this kid?!" the chief demanded, oblivious to Leon's repartee.

"She's mine, okay?! And it wasn't my fault she ended up here, just to get that straight!"

"Oh." The chief stared. "Your kid? Are you serious?" he dug further.

Leon snorted and turned Dana so he could see her eyes. "Yeah, my kid. Any problems with that?"

The chief cleared his throat. "No. No, of course not. Who's her mother? What's she doing here?"

That was one of the rather annoying things about police officers. They always had to get to the bottom of everything.

Leon and Jill exchanged a glance. "Uh, chief, actually, Dana has no real mother. But it's complicated. Anyway, she's here," he said carefully.

"Yes, I see that." The chief's brows drew together. "Leon, you're busy with that Miller-case. Bring her back to her mother or whatever you mean by 'no real mother' and then get to work. We've got to get that guy."

The blonde detective rolled his eyes. "I know that, chief. But-" he hesitated, knowing he couldn't go to the pet shop and drop Dana there, because D would only get madder. He didn't want the kid to endure D's bad mood, even though he could understand the kami.

"No buts, Leon!" the chief barked and stomped back into his office. "You get that child back and get to work again. You're not the kindergarten cop!"

Dana, who'd stopped crying due to being much more interested in the discussion, looked up at Leon with big blue eyes. He sighed deeply. "Jill?" he asked, but his colleague shrugged.

"I don't know, Leon. What do you have to do today?"

"Actually I was just getting that report done so that I could leave and question Laura's neighbour again. I think she's been in love with that Gavin guy, too, and tries to protect him."

"Well, you've got two options: take her with you or drop her at the pet shop," Jill said and turned to her computer screen. Leon stared at his daughter glumly.

"Great," he murmured. Dana reached for his ponytail. "No, Dana, not now. I've got work to do. Why don't you just – uh, sit down in that corner and play a little? Here, there you've got a pen and here's paper, now you can draw a little bit, whaddya think about that?"

Dana's lips curled into a pout. „Leon, play!" she demanded, but for once the blonde was firm.

"Dana, not now. We'll play once we're back at the shop, but now I've got to work." To his own astonishment, she kept pouting, but didn't start to cry when Leon sat her down besides his chair and handed pen and paper to her.

Then he returned to his report, brow wrinkled. What did D think, dropping Dana here like that? This was the plaza, not a kindergarten! And he knew perfectly well Leon had no job that enabled him to look after a kid while he was working, in contrast to the kami. He often had to leave the plaza in a matter of minutes, with no time to find someone who could look after Dana in his absence. (Why else had he made the Count look after Chris all the time?! He'd have preferred to have his little brother at his side, too.)

Well, actually…

The blonde cast a careful glance at Jill, sitting opposite to him, doing her own reports. He knew for sure that she was not going to question any witnesses, and had announced she'd spend the whole day at the plaza today. As innocuously as possible he took his jacket and revolver and slipped down from his chair.

"Dana," he whispered. The girl looked up expectantly. "Listen, sweetie, I'm very sorry, but I've gotta go for some time. Will you stay here with Auntie Jill, please? I won't be long, I promise. But I can't take you with me. Will you behave until I'm back?" The girl's lower lip quivered and Leon hurried to soothe her, horrified that she might start to cry. "If you're a good girl and behave, I'll buy you ice-cream, okay? Just be nice."

Good thing Dana had inherited the sugar addiction from D. She was easily bribed and beamed instantly at the word ice-cream. Leon grinned. "That's my girl. Be good, I'll be back soon. Just stay here and draw some nice pictures for me, will you?"

Dana nodded ferociously and returned to her drawings. The blonde sighed relieved. Now there was only Jill to take care of…

"Jill, would you watch Dana for a bit, please? I'll be right back, just have to go and question that neighbour. Won't be gone long, promise, and Dana's a good kid. She'll behave," he said quickly and sidled to the door. Jill didn't even look up, just hm-ed and kept hacking something into her computer. Leon's grin widened. _Multitasking, my ass._

"Great, thanks, Jill. See ya later, then!" he called and fled the office.

Jill's head jerked up and she looked around questioningly. "Leon? What did you say?" she asked confused.

Dana's head appeared behind her colleague's desk. "Leon go," she informed the woman brightly. Jill's hands froze into claws over her keyboard.

"Ooooh, Orcot, I'll get you for that!" she hissed. "How dare you leave me with your kid?! I'm not your fucking nanny!"

Dana pecked her head to the side. "Fucking nanny!" she echoed, beaming.

Jill's head met the table.

* * *

Leon returned two hours later and hurried inside. Questioning the neighbour had taken more time than he'd expected, and he could just imagine the mood Jill would be in. To be honest, he _had_ a bad conscience for dropping Dana on her, but what was he supposed to do? He couldn't question a witness with a small kid perched on his lap. Besides, D would kill him for dragging Dana to his crime scenes, even if he had positively forced Leon to do so.

"Jill, I'm sorry!" he called before entering his cubicle. "I swear, I'll make it up to you!" He walked inside and…

…froze at the sight of Dana sitting on his desk, laughing gleefully as she was wrecking havoc with the papers there. The blonde stared, horrified, and then rushed to his desk, snatching Dana up quickly. "Dana! Those aren't toys, dammit! You can't just play with them!"

Her bottom lip quivered and next thing Leon knew, she had started screeching loudly, big tears rolling down her cheeks. "Fuck!" he swore and rocked her a little, but that just increased her volume. He heard his colleagues in the other cubicles rise and start to search for the source of the noise. "Ssssh, Dana! Stop crying, please! I'm sorry, I didn't want to snap. You'll get your ice-cream, okay? Two?"

Dana wailed.

"Oooooh, look who's back! Leon the neglectful daddy!" Jill cooed and the blonde spun round to face his smirking colleague leaning in the doorframe with folded arms.

"Jill! Dammit, I asked you to look after her!" he fumed and her grin became mean.

"Oh, you did? I'd rather say you dropped her on me while I was busy trying to figure that report out and distracted enough not to notice you slipping out," she corrected icily.

Leon's gaze wavered between her and the still screaming kid in his arms. "Ssssh, Dana! Okay, okay, that wasn't fair of me, but Jill, please! Dana, be quiet! What was I supposed to do? Take her with me to that neighbour?!" he pleaded, exasperated.

"Orcot! Shut that kid up!" the chief screamed from his bureau.

"I'm trying!" the blonde bellowed back and rocked Dana firmer.

"B-bàaaabàaaaa!" she wailed. Leon swore fluently.

Funnily enough, that managed what all soothing wouldn't. Dana's mouth closed with an almost audible snap and she looked up at him with wide eyes. "Fucking nanny!" she announced, teary-eyed, obviously wanting to take part in the swearing session.

Leon glared at Jill trying to hide her grin and failing triumphantly. "Great!" he groaned. "D's gonna kill me, and I'm not even responsible this time!"

"Oooooh, I'm so sorry for that!" Jill faked sympathy and slid into her seat again. Leon searched for a handkerchief, didn't find any, and instead used the hem of his t-shirt to wipe Dana's face. "Really, Leon, you've got a lot to learn to be a good dad," his colleague observed dryly.

He shot her a mean glance. "You're not the best nanny either. F- Da- Jesus, even I know that you don't just leave small children all alone, especially not in a police plaza! Just look at my desk!"

Jill surveyed the chaos Dana had created and grinned. "I really don't see any difference to usual state. She must've got that from you. No wonder the Count was in such a bad mood," she commented and Leon groaned again.

"I'm gonna kill you for that, Jill. I really am."

The woman's tether was at its end. "Hey, what was I supposed to do?!" she snapped. "You just dropped her on me. I've got work to do, too, in case you've never noticed! Those drug-dealers won't bust themselves, even if I wish they would! It was just five minutes, how was I supposed to know she would climb on your desk during that time and start trashing it?"

Leon gave up. "Okay, okay. Peace. I'll pay lunch the whole next week, and you promise if I'll ever leave Dana with you again, you'll make sure someone's there to look after her. Deal?"

Whatever could be said about Jill, she was not resentful. She eyed the hand Leon offered her, but then she shook on it. "Deal. By the way, I think it would be better if you left now. Chief's already pissed enough and I think he for once wouldn't mind if you packed up earlier today."

"Ice-cream!" Dana claimed, sensing that the situation had eased up again. Leon sighed and threaded a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, I promised, I know," he said wearily. "I think I'll take you up on that, Jill. I've gotta find a way to soothe D again anyway."

"Good luck with that." Jill's expression now was really pitiful. Leon grimaced and gathered up Dana's drawings to place them on his desk on the whole other mess.

"Yeah, thanks, I'm really gonna need that. See you tomorrow, then!"

"Bye." Jill turned back to her computer and laughed silently. Leon becoming a dad. Oh, this was so much fun!

* * *

"D, you're home?"

Carefully Leon opened the door to the pet shop and went inside, Dana sitting comfortably on his hip. There was no answer, but he was pretty sure that his kami was here. Placing a finger on his lips, he put Dana to the floor and handed her the box with chocolates he'd bought before coming to the shop again. Then he fixed the straps of the little dress she was wearing and adjusted the flowers on her hair (they'd gotten ice-cream at the park and the girl had insisted on Leon making her a little floral wreath. The blonde had never felt more embarrassed in his life than there, sitting in the grass and clumsily binding the flowers).

Whispering, he explained the strategy to his daughter again. "I'm gonna get D to the front room, Dana, and you wait here, okay? Just stay where you are until I call for you. And then you come out and say 'I'm sorry, Bàbà.' You got that?" She nodded vigorously and Leon stood up. "Perfect. Now let's see, where's your daddy…?"

"I really do hope you left her at your apartment," an icy voice answered his question and D emerged from behind one curtain to stare at Leon. The blonde gulped. There were days when D decided he had to remind him that he could be as cold as an iceberg, like he'd been at the beginning of their acquaintance. Today seemed to be one of them. He carefully stepped in front of Dana, hiding his daughter from the kami's view.

"D, c'mon. She's just a kid. Kids sulk and kids don't behave. It's the way of the world. You love her and you know it."

"I should have left her on your doorstep on the day of her birth," the kami snapped and moved forward. His mismatched eyes were both hot fury and ice-cold anger. Leon shuddered at the contrast in them. He folded his arms defensively.

"Yeah, perhaps, but you didn't. Now please, whatever she did, it can't've been that bad."

"She chased away my customer and she upset Tetsu. She has no manners and no respect for others." D was really angry, the blonde could tell. His shoulders sagged, but the kami continued regardless of his pleading eyes. "I really do not understand why I have to watch her all the time. You are her father, too. It was different when you were not there, but now you are. And still you rather leave her with me to care for her all day, come here in the evenings, play with her a little, bring her to bed and then vanish again. That was not why I have moved to America again. If I'd stayed in Japan and let you visit from time to time, you would probably have spent more time with your daughter."

_So it's really this what this is about._

Leon sighed deeply and offered his open hands. "D, you know I've got a full-time job. I'm trying, I really am. But right now, I'm up to my head in work. There's this murder case, then I've gotta help Jill with those drug-dealers, the chief's at me all the time because I've still not enough evidence to bust that guy that tried to kill his mother… What do you want me to do? Drag Dana along to all the witnesses? Take her to the crime scenes with me?"

The look in D's eyes softened somehow, but he still snarled. "All I ask of you is to help me raise her if you insisted in being a part of her life. I really don't think that should present such an obstacle."

The girl behind Leon grabbed one of his legs. He remembered that they probably shouldn't be discussing this in front of her. Dana understood a lot more than one might think, and she was perfectly able to get that this was about her. Leon didn't want his daughter to feel like a burden. He briskly took a few steps towards D, put his hands on his shoulders to keep him from turning away and said, "Whatever, D, but there's someone here who's gotta tell you something. Dana?"

The girl's blue eyes were teary again, but she smiled uncertainly at her kami father all the same, offering him the by now half-melted chocolates. "I'm sorry Bábá!" she piped.

Was he good or was he just good?

Triumphantly Leon watched D's face change from anger to pure adoration. He escaped his grip by sliding down onto his knees and reaching for Dana. "Oh Dana, why can't you just be this way all the time?" he half sighed, half cooed. Her bottom lip trembled and the next moment, D had an armful of crying girl, sobbing unidentifiable words in Chinese. Leon rolled his eyes and helped himself to one of the cakes sitting on the teacart. D was going to be busy for a while.

* * *

The evening passed far more pleasantly than Leon would've imagined earlier. D, once soothed, was pretty amiable, and he actually was able to forget about the Miller-case for a while. They played together, all three of them. The blonde caught himself smiling at D warmly whenever Dana did something funny. Their gazes quickly broke away again, but even those few seconds caused a strange warmth in his chest. He wondered if D felt the same, and pushed the thought away. They were no family, and there was no use in wondering how the kami felt when they did something so family-like.

Eventually Dana started to yawn and cling to Leon tiredly. He stood with a groan and looked at D still on the floor, looking like he was posing for a picture. "You wanna bathe her or anything?" he asked and D shook his head.

"No, she had her bath yesterday before you arrived. Just bring her to bed, please," he answered, stood too and smoothed out his cheongsam.

"Okay, then we'll be off. Dana, say goodnight to your friends."

The girl waved tiredly. Her eyes kept closing. Leon carried her off to D's bedroom while the kami sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. The blonde left the door open, and he could hear him talking to the child, laughing softly when Dana answered in her English-Chinese-mixture. He smiled. Well, perhaps the day really hadn't started good, but right now, he felt – content.

The door closed, and he knew Leon was now reading to Dana from one of her books, probably 'The little bear and his friends'. It was a book Leon had given her as a present in Japan, god knows where he had managed to find it. But Dana loved it, so much that D could tell the story by now without even having to look at the book. She wanted to hear it all the time. Perhaps he should get her some other children's books so that she would have more choice.

The kami was busy thinking about what kind of books he would buy for Dana when the human returned, drawing him back to reality and causing a somehow tight feeling in his chest. Every thought of Dana and children's books disappeared at the sight of the blonde's face.

Leon sat down and accepted a cup of tea. He sipped it, deep in thought, while D's mismatched eyes searched for clues about what was suddenly bothering his lion. He hadn't forgotten how depressed Leon had seemed only one week ago when he came to the shop, but there hadn't been time yet to find out what had been the matter. He only could suspect it had something to do with the phone call Leon had received the day they came back.

Finally the blonde looked up, his eyes unfocused and staring into the distance. They met D's quite by accident, stayed distant. Then they focused on his mismatched ones and unwillingly the kami held his breath.

"Are – are you still angry I left Dana with you today?" he managed to croak.

Leon, still thoughtful, came to himself again and just looked plainly surprised. "No. No, of course not. Why should I?" he asked and shook his head. "I mean, I wasn't too happy about it… The precinct isn't quite a place where I want her to be. You could at least have called, then I would've dropped by. But so I had to leave her with Jill because I had to do an inquiry."

D looked not pleased hearing this, but he wisely chose not to object now. Instead he looked at Leon's wrinkled brow. "May I ask if it had something to do with that phone call you got a few weeks ago?" he inquired almost timidly, not knowing if he was overstepping any lines. Back when he and Leon had been fighting all the time, when there had been no Dana, it had been quite commonplace for the detective to tell him about his cases. But circumstances had changed.

Leon sighed deeply and leaned back in his chair. "You remember that? Yeah, it was Jill. They'd found a girl shot in her – listen to that – walk-in closet." He cracked open an eye and saw D's hand fly to his mouth to cover a chuckle. For a second he was distracted from his worries and grinned. "Yeah, that's what I thought, too."

Then he grew solemn again. "Anyway, nothing funny about the fact that she's dead. She was pretty young, too, only 23." He sighed and threaded a hand through his blonde hair. D noticed it was pretty long by now again. Some people might have said he needed a haircut. But the kami only felt his fingers twitch to feel the softness of the blonde strays.

Leon continued, oblivious to his thoughts. "It's a friggin' shame. Three days ago I went to her mother. She's one of the Miller daughters, like in 'Miller construction'. Laura. The third daughter. The family's pretty strict, catholic and all, but Laura left them because of her boyfriend. His name's Gavin McGallen, and he's one of the sons of the 'McGallen seminary' family. Pretty catholic, too, though Gavin and Laura seem to have been the black sheep of their respective families, you know, what with living alone and having sex."

Leon's eyes, which at first had been fixed on D's face, now gazed into nowhere as he told the kami about his thoughts. "Laura's mother told me her daughter left her family for Gavin. She said she had a dream in which Laura appeared and told her Gavin killed her because he wanted to silence her. Only thing is, her death looks pretty much as if she surprised a burglar and got shot by accident. Chief wants quick results, because both families are pretty important. And I –" he sighed.

"Her mother said she dreamed about Laura?" D inquired.

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Then he rewarded D with a weak glance. "Okay, forget it. I don't know. I mean, I know you believe in dreams and such, but I need hard proof if I want to bust this guy. I'd love to, I really would. His family might think he's the lost son and that one day he'll find his way back to god or whatever, but I'm telling you, that guy's just a bastard. The kind of guy no one wants his daughter to end up with."

"That means you are convinced that he did it, too, but can't prove it?" D asked, passing what Leon had just said. The blonde nodded.

"But there's the next problem. I mean, I did look into his alibi, of course. We always do, and I had a feeling this wasn't just a burglary from the beginning. Unfortunately Gavin's got a perfect alibi, and if he didn't bribe 20 different guys, which I personally doubt he had the money for, there's no way he could've killed Laura himself. And if he hired a professional killer, well, chances are I'll never find out."

"Gavin McGallen, you said?" D asked and sipped his tea thoughtfully.

"Yeah. You know him? You sold him one of your pets which might've been able to kill Laura for him?"

Leon's interest and enthusiasm was noticeably low, considering the usual enthusiasm with which he pinned any crime to D. Well, that probably was another change necessary to make this work, but the kami still felt strange at this lack of usual behaviour. He watched Leon lean his head back on the sofa and Pon-chan stroke his hair, envying the raccoon the liberties she could take with the blonde.

"No, I did not sell him a pet. But I sold one to his mother. About six years ago, shortly after I arrived in Los Angeles, she came to my shop and purchased a dog. Her son accompanied her." His nose wrinkled delicately. "As far as I can recall, he is a very aggressive, rude young man with a mouth even fouler than yours."

"Yeah, sounds like him," Leon said, closing his eyes and enjoying Pon-chan's massage. "By the way, it's a good thing there's someone else you think is worse than me, I mean, given the fact I'm your daughter's dad. I'd feel bad being the only bad example you can show her."

D chuckled, then his brow wrinkled again. "It's strange, though, that he should have a girlfriend. I got the impression that Mr McGallen was – homosexual."

Leon deigned to crack open an eye and glanced at the kami. "He set your gaydar off, huh?"

D had managed until now not to blush, firmly telling himself there was no reason to blush while talking homosexuality to Leon. But now his pale cheeks grew red as a bunch of roses and he snarled. "Really, Detective! I do not have such a thing as a 'gaydar'. What king of word is that even?! I am merely observant, and if someone mistakes me for a woman and starts to court me, then learns I am a male and doesn't stop, I think it's not too far-fetched to assume he is at least bisexual," he said icily.

Leon grinned. "You're not male, D," he pointed out and sat up again. "And I doubt Gavin started 'courting you'. He probably started hitting on you so hard not even you could pretend it wasn't happening."

The kami glared. "I _am_ male, Detective. The fact that I am also coincidentally female doesn't change that. And I prefer being perceived as a male."

"Why?"

The simple question stopped D's rising temper at once and he stared at the human confused. "Excuse me?" he inquired faintly.

Leon's eyes locked on his and he got lost in blue depths, unable to look away. The blonde propped his elbows on his knees and put his chin in his hands. "Why do you want to be a guy?" he repeated patiently.

"I – I never really considered myself as being female," D answered faintly, hesitantly, being caught off-guard and thus being more open than he wished to. But the words simply forced their way out of his mouth. "I – never really noticed my femininity until…"

He bit his lip and blushed furiously. "Anyway, I do not think that's your concern," he finished firmly and sat his cup down. Leon rolled his eyes, but got to his feet and quickly gulped the remaining tea in his cup.

"Yeah, whatever, D. I fucked you, I got you pregnant, but that's alright, you don't have to tell me anything and can just keep on being prude."

A cup hit his head and smashed on it. The kami's eyes blazed. "You are surely the most crudest person I've ever met!" he snapped. "I am so glad you were drunk and can't remember anything, else the whole city would know all about me by now!"

Leon whirled round, but instead of replying, he hauled off and slapped D's backside that the kami squeaked and gaped at him, speechless.

"Yeah, thought I remembered doing that. By the way, have you gained weight since last time? That ass seems bigger to me," Leon said nonchalantly and strode out. "See ya, D!"

T-chan perked around the corner and looked between the giggling Pon-chan and the Count, frozen there like a pillar of salt. "Hey Count, did he just touch your ass?!" he asked and grinned broadly. "Wow. Didn't think he'd have the guts."

With that, he vanished again, leaving his master standing open-mouthed in the middle of the front room.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, talk about issues... How in all heavens shall they ever get together if they keep going like this?! o.O And, people: give them some time to work it out! It's not as if this situation is easy for either of them, and we all know it already was pretty complicated when no one was yet thinking of Dana.

Oh, and by the way: Happy Saint Nicholas Day! :-)


	7. Weekend Daddy

**Weekend Daddy**

When Leon arrived the next day in his lunch break, D tried very hard to act as if nothing had happened the evening before. But he couldn't suppress the blush that crept up in his cheeks when T-chan smirked knowingly and nudged Pon-chan's backside. That of course sent the raccoon in a fury, and while Leon was feeding Dana, the kami was busy keeping raccoon and totetsu from killing each other.

When he at last sat down at the table, Dana was nearly finished, though Leon hadn't managed to touch his food yet, due to having to help Dana. "Shall I take her, Detective?" he asked, but the blonde shook his head, not looking at D. He perked up. What was the matter?

"Are you quite alright, Detective?" he inquired, afraid something might have happened, perhaps something in the case of the dead girl.

Leon quickly glanced at him and then cleared his throat. "Yes, nothing's wrong. I just – listen, D, can I talk to you?"

The kami sat down his teacup surprised. "Of course, Detective," he replied, now really worried. Leon hesitated, but then decided to go straight for it.

"Listen, I talked to Jill. And I got the weekend off. So I thought, if you've no objections, that I could take the little missy for two days… if it's alright, I mean, for you, if I take her… perhaps only one day, if two's too many…"

His voice trailed off as he took in the expression on D's face. "You said I should take care of her more often," he reminded the Chinese, but sounded so timid it came out more like a plea. D shook himself and smiled.

"You mean you want to take Dana to your apartment?" he asked, not quite able to believe what he was hearing. Leon nodded and tipped his finger to Dana's nose because the girl was looking up at him questioningly.

"Yeah, that's what I mean. You could have the weekend off, and I could take her. Just like the couples who live separated do. I mean, not that we're a separated couple, just – like they do," he added hastily, blushing.

D used his hair to hide behind. His mind was racing. Yes, he had been angry with Leon because the human acted no different to when Chris had lived at the shop. That was maybe okay for a six-year-old, who understood about work, but not for a small child whom he had promised to take care of.

The question now was if D really wanted to let Dana out of his sight. If he really wanted to trust Leon with his child, or whether his words had just been spoken in anger. He remembered the totetsu's words in the park on that first weekend, and also that he'd pushed the thoughts away quickly, thinking it would resolve itself in time. Now he found that the weeks gone since hadn't done anything to answer the question.

Fortunately the doorbell announced a customer. The kami quickly stood and floated over to greet the newcomer, a woman in her mid-thirties who looked at him with wide eyes. Leon, for once sensing his and Dana's presence might not be welcome, scooped the girl up and vanished into the kitchen. The woman's eyes followed them for a second, but then focused again on D.

"I am here because a friend of mine said I might find what I am looking for here," she said firmly, not completely succeeding in hiding the quiver in her voice.

D's business-smile widened. "Ah yes, I see. We sell all kinds of animals, whatever you want. Do you require something special?"

"I am looking for…"

She leaned forward and whispered something into the kami's ear. His smile became cruel behind her back, and he drew away the curtain to the back of the shop. "If you would follow me to the back room, please," he said and they vanished together.

Leon watched them from behind the curtain to the kitchen, one hand firmly over Dana's mouth. Tetsu at his feet growled angrily, but the blonde didn't care for him. Instead, once they had left the front room, he went inside again, picking up this and that, setting Dana to her feet again when the girl started to wriggle. A glance at the clock told him he would have to leave soon if he didn't want to arrive late at the precinct, but he wanted to wait for D's return.

Besides, he couldn't leave Dana alone, now, could he? Even though the pets could take care of her for those few minutes.

Eventually D appeared again, the woman trailing behind him, a completely enrapt expression on her face and a cage in her hand. By the size Leon would've guessed it was a big bird, but he couldn't be sure. There was a cloak draped over it. D bowed politely as he led her out. "Please do remember the terms of the contract. I wish you much joy with him," he said sweetly. Leon shuddered unwillingly at the words. They came out so false, far too sly.

But the woman smiled back, not aware of what he was hearing in D's voice. "Goodbye, Count, and thank you."

Then her eyes fell on Leon and Dana. "Your friend's got a pretty daughter," she remarked and left.

The kami carefully closed the door behind her, turned and caught Leon's gaze. There was fury blazing in those mismatched eyes. "My friend?" he snarled and stomped to the girl. "My _friend_ has got a beautiful daughter? Humans are so blind!"

He tossed his head back and would have continued to rage on if Leon hadn't stopped him. "Cool down, she just didn't think you'd have a kid. I mean, who would think that? No reason to get all upset. Anyway, what about this weekend?" he said, taking D's mind off the customer and her remark. He blinked twice, then averted his face.

"Well, I guess we could try it," he answered softly. "If you promise to take good care of her, I would be glad to have one weekend to get some kind of order into the shop again. Moving is pretty chaotic."

Leon smiled. "Okay then. I'll pick her up Friday afternoon, okay?" He glanced at the clock. "Gotta go. See you in the evening!"

He left the shop quickly, waving to Dana on his way out, the girl returning it gleefully. D gazed at a spot on the wall and tried to sort out his feelings. Leon had caught him pretty unaware, and he had given in to his request because his mind was still busy with the customer. But did he really feel like he could trust the blonde with Dana?

* * *

"D, would you please stop fussing around? I only have her for the weekend. Not even you need so much stuff for two days, and we're not even leaving the city. I can always drop by if we need something."

Leon lingered in the door, waiting to get off with Dana while the kami was still looking around to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Judging by the way he was acting, one could've thought Leon was going to take his daughter to the polar circle and not approximately two kilometres south to his own apartment. Consequently the blonde was quite exasperated.

"Listen, if you don't trust me to care for her one weekend, then just spit it, okay? But I recall you complaining that I should spend more time with her," he reminded the kami sternly.

D turned to his detective with an apologetic smile. "I am sorry, Leon. But Dana has never been away from the shop for so long before…"

Leon questioningly looked down at his daughter, sitting on his hip. Dana was holding her plush cat (which had been named 'Kitty' lately, when the girl had picked up the word from a customer. D had been quite – taken aback, to say the least) and watching her fathers with interest. "Go, Leon?" she asked with her little voice. It didn't seem at all as if she would mind being away from the shop for some time.

"Yeah, we're leaving now. Your bàbà just needs time to learn that now you're a young lady and can stay out overnight." Leon grinned at D wickedly. The kami blushed and smoothed out his skirts. He bit back a mean comment and instead accompanied them to Leon's car, waiting in front of the shop.

"Please, Detective, be careful. Don't let her stay up too late, and make sure she eats properly. Not your fast-food, but real food. And keep the windows closed," he pleaded, fearing that Dana would take her chance at jumping from the window. Off lately his daughter had been more than adventurous and bold. Far too bold for D's taste. It was one of the reasons why he was looking forward to having one weekend off while her other father took care of the girl, while at the same time being afraid more than he could say something might happen to his child if he was not there to guard her.

"Bye Tetsu! Bye Pon-chan!" Dana called and waved with her cat. The pets lined up on the steps beside D and watched the girl being seated in the children's seat in the car.

Then Leon turned to D and threaded a hand through his hair awkwardly. "So, D, have a nice weekend, then. If anything happens, I'll give you a call."

"Of course," D hastened to confirm. "I will stay at the shop most of the time anyway."

Hearing himself say that, he blushed again. Gods, Leon _was_ right, for once. He _did_ act like some over-protecting mother.

Firmly telling himself that there was no reason to be worried (had Leon taken those awful pictures of his down? Good gracious, if the human even dared to show them to their daughter, he would feed him to T-chan for sure this time!), D watched him get into the car.

Next thing he knew, he had opened the other door and slipped inside. Leon looked at him nonplussed. "D -" he began, a warning note in his voice. The kami shook his head.

"I am merely coming with you because there is a very good bakery near your flat. I could have some of their éclairs," he said. The blush, instead of dying down, became more furious. The blonde stared, tried to decide whether to start an argument, sighed and drove off. D chose to watch the tourists walking through Chinatown. He'd have looked anywhere at the moment to avoid Leon's eyes.

Leon carried his daughter up to his flat while D followed with the suitcase containing her clothes. "You'll see, sweetie, we'll have a lot of fun this weekend," the blonde told Dana and opened the door. A quick glance around told D that – good for Leon – the pin-up-girls had vanished as if they'd never been there. A little sigh escaped him.

"I'm not that dumb, D. D'you honestly think I would let Dana see my posters?"

Leon's quiet voice made him jump. "No-o, of course not, Leon," he lied, knowing he could tell. Trying to avoid the hurt look on the blonde's face, he went to the bedroom and sat down the suitcase beside the baby-bed.

Now wait a moment, since when…?

"Bought one last week. Jill helped me pick it out. I even got a brand-new one. Dana's going to grow out of it soon, but I hope she'll leave enough pieces that I can sell it again after," Leon said casually and came inside, too. He'd put her on her own feet and Dana was curiously exploring the apartment on her own.

Sometimes he was really glad for the curtain of his hair. Though Leon was the only one who caused him to need to hide, the frequency with which the detective did it made its existence truly necessary.

"I am sorry, Leon. I was – I misjudged you again," he pressed out. The blonde shrugged.

"Yeah, well, happens a lot. Nothing to fuss over, is it?"

"No, I guess not," D said through gritted teeth and forced his smile on his face. "I will be on my way to that bakery then. Have a nice weekend, Detective. Dana, be good and behave, will you?"

The girl's blue-golden eyes had been watching her fathers quite closely. Now she nodded earnestly. "Swear!" she said and held up her hand. Leon's tense expression dissolved into a lopsided grin.

"That's my girl. Don't worry, D, we'll be alright. And she'll be back before you know it."

D bowed his head. "Yes, I guess so. Goodbye." He left the flat and headed straight back to the shop. His stomach felt so corded up that there was no need to stop in the bakery.

* * *

The evening passed without events. D sat on his chair, sipped his tea and tried to remember what he had done before there had been a Leon to fill the hours after work, or a Dana to occupy him – well, the whole day, 24 hours on end, 7 days a week. Finally he settled on taking a hot bath and delighting in the knowledge that there was no small girl that would wake up and cry so that he had to leave the bath hurriedly to soothe her. He even went to one of the rooms and took his bath in a hot pool somewhere in the mountains, surrounded by nature and his pets.

But he still couldn't relax. No matter how often he told himself that he could trust Leon, that the human was responsible (at least sometimes) and would take good care of their daughter, he worried still. Dana was such a small kid, she had so different needs than what Leon was used to. Perhaps he ought to have invited Leon for one weekend and supervised him with Dana before he let him take her away…

An exasperated snort right at his ear made him jump. T-chan looked at him with golden eyes. "Count, relax, for god's sake! Leon's not going to kill her. And I'm pretty sure he'll call you if he feels uncertain. Never thought I'd say that, but since that kid arrived, you're behaving worse than he sometimes."

The kami wrinkled his nose at this reprimand from his pet, but then the scene this afternoon popped up in his head again and he sighed, letting his head fall back on the rim of the small pool. Tetsu had a point, as well as Leon. He was just too suspicious, and he really had to take care of that. It couldn't be that Leon tried and tried and all he got for his efforts was an ever-suspicious D who did little less than accuse him flat out of endangering their daughter. He'd criticized and hated that behaviour when Leon had shown it, now he was doing it himself?

Pon-chan climbed into the pool, too, and paddled around in it quite happily. A small smile appeared on D's face as he watched her. She stopped in front of him and tipped her nose to his. "It's okay to be worried, Count. She's your child. But Leon is a good father. Sure, he's still got a lot to learn, but so have you. It's your first child, too," she said earnestly.

D bit back the comment that he, in contrast to Leon, had raised a lot of babies. The remarkable difference was, of course, that they had been animals' babies, while Dana was – well, a hybrid. And he didn't know anything about raising a half-human, half-kami kid. His grandfather couldn't help him, either, and since he had been not too happy when he found out D had moved back to America instead of raising Dana in China like he had suggested, the kami doubted he would be very eager to help, though he would of course if asked to. But if he was honest, he wanted to sort this out on his own.

"It's just –" he sighed. "I don't know if I'm doing everything right. Dana is so complicated sometimes. She's so difficult, so different from what my grandfather told me about raising my father and me," he admitted at last. The pets exchanged a glance. Tetsu eyed the water, decided he, too, could do with a bath and slipped inside to snuggle against the Count.

"I for my share really doubt that you and your father were as easy to raise as he claims," he said, half-closing his eyes as D started to stroke him. "Really, Count, kids are kids and always will be kids. You never know if you've done well until they're grown. Q-chan would probably say that you turned out not so good, and neither did your father. What does that tell us? He probably made a mistake raising you both."

"Now, T-chan, he is my grandfather. He has given me everything I have and has always wished to do what is the best for me," D gently scolded his totetsu, who opened his eyes again to send him a mischievous glance.

"Yeah, and hammered into you to do your duty. Not that I mind," he added quickly, seeing D's brows draw together, "but he's as egoistic as he claims your father is. Was. Don't forget he suggested getting rid of Dana."

D sighed deeply. "It was only a suggestion and he didn't force me to do it," he defended his grandfather. The pets glanced at each other again, thinking the same. But fortunately D was too busy thinking to notice. "I do not want Dana to be subjected to any experiments. She's unique and that's always dangerous among humans. Leon is so naive sometimes. He might let something slip, quite by accident, but nevertheless causing Dana to get harmed."

"Count." Pon-chan made him look into her eyes. They were very serious when she spoke. "Leon loves Dana. He is as well aware of the things humans do to strange people as you are, and he's a detective. He won't let anything happen to Dana, not even over his dead corpse. Don't worry and trust him."

D sighed deeply a last time and reluctantly gave in. He owed the human more than he could ever repay. Perhaps trusting him was a good way to start.

* * *

Dana was asleep in her new bed. They'd played the whole evening, and Leon couldn't remember ever having more fun with a kid this small. She was not like usual kids, didn't cry when she got handled a bit roughly, but took delight in testing her strength against Leon's. His neighbours had even come over to object because they made so much noise, rolling and tussling on the floor, but once they'd seen the girl, they'd been too enamoured by her to think of complaining.

Yes, he really had been lucky, considering the fact that he'd never wanted to have a kid at all. At least, he'd not wanted one before he'd found the right woman, and even then, he'd have had to think about it. He couldn't have foreseen that not a woman, not even a human, was going to bear his child…

Leon rolled over on his bed and stared at the ceiling, noticing the lack of the poster there. He'd taken them down yesterday, noticing to his surprise that he didn't even mind taking them down. Perhaps he wouldn't put them on the walls again. Only problem was, now the cracks in the walls were visible. He'd have to ask Jill to help him pick out some now posters, perhaps some with animals. Dana would love them, and D would perhaps be pleased.

Damn. He just couldn't decide whether to be angry at the kami for distrusting him or not. He knew perfectly well that D had been raised to distrust humans. But Leon wasn't the one who'd gotten them into this whole mess. He tried to make the best out of it, but D was constantly pissed by something or the other he did, even more than back when Chris had been in his charge.

That was something to think about. Not the fact that D was concerned more about his own daughter than about Leon's little brother, but the fact that D was responsible for Dana's existence in the first place. Leon had pushed aside that thought since he came to know about his fatherhood, but now it popped up in his mind again. He couldn't remember one thing of that night, he was pretty sure about that. Well, unless those dreams he'd had before travelling to Japan had been an unconscious recollection of it. How had it been, making love with D?

Even though it was dark and she was asleep, Leon felt his cheeks burn. Gods, how could he even think such things when besides him his little daughter slept?! Determined he got up and went to the kitchen, moving as silently as possible, not wanting to wake Dana. He sat down on his couch and surveyed the chaos they'd created while playing. Well, one thing was for sure, D would have had it all cleaned up the second Dana was asleep. That guy was not at all a guy when it came to the kid. He was a freaking mother.

Though that was not a real surprise considering the fact that he had given birth to her. How had that even worked?! D'd been quite tied up about everything concerning the pregnancy. Had he turned female, really female, so that he could give birth, and was ashamed of it?

Leon nearly snorted with laughter imagining D with breasts and the horrified look on his face it would surely create. Not that he hated breasts, but the blonde had always gotten the impression that D was not too fond of them. Though he could imagine he wouldn't look that bad, if the looks of his 'sister' were any indication…

Leaning back on the couch, Leon conjured up a picture in his mind. D, with breasts and a big belly. Lord, he would have to ask him for pictures. Though he doubted any existed, and if, D would surely not show them to Leon. But why not? He'd never understood why some women complained so much about being fat when they were pregnant. It wasn't _fat_, it was a _child_. And while Leon hadn't wanted one for himself, the sight of pregnant women had never made him think that they were fat. Truth be told, they even were kind of attractive. Probably had something to do with those animal instincts that told Leon pregnant women were good breeders.

Not that D would be very happy if Leon ever mentioned such in front of him.

He sighed again. The guy had never been easy to handle, but at the moment he was nearly unbearable. Problem was, Leon couldn't bring himself to be angry at him like he had been back when they'd had no kid. He couldn't even bring himself to be angry with D for that. There were things he understood, and while he certainly didn't approve of being used, he understood the desire to sleep with someone, not only because of pure physical needs, but because you liked someone so much you just _had_ to get closer to him or her. And if nothing else sufficed, then humans resorted to sex. Because, honestly, a guy couldn't get any closer to a woman than when he had his thing in her.

Perhaps he should rather feel honoured that D had obviously liked him so much. Still, it was not okay that he'd taken advantage of him that way, though Leon had to admit that there'd been little other choice if he considered his attitude towards the kami back then and…

The thought trailed off as realisation hit the blonde. He sat bolt upright and stared hard at the window, unaware of the city lights outside.

That just could not be true. There was no possible way D could've fallen in love with Leon. That just didn't happen.

Oh, FUCK. Nice job, Orcot, really. That guy takes advantage of you. Of _you_. Doesn't ring any bells? Well, what about him being all pure and asexual towards others? Never taking a woman up on her word, though he's had god-knows-how-many-offers? Never looking at a guy, either? And what about giving birth to _your_ child and caring for it when grandpa was everything but happy about him being pregnant by a human?

Desperately Leon threaded his hand through his hair and groaned. Oh, lord. Why had he never even considered that D might be in love with him? Though whether he still was, the blonde didn't feel like he could tell. Usually telling what D felt was very difficult, and even though his mask had almost disappeared where it concerned Leon and Dana, he wasn't too sure of what he thought he read in this unearthly beautiful face. He could always be wrong, and considering that D had the power to never let Leon see his daughter again, he preferred to stay on the safe side.

But if he was – if D was still in love with Leon – what was he supposed to do now? Should he try to talk to him about it? Probably D would only get angry again, or embarrassed and angry, and Leon liked neither. Or was that different with D's species? Had he just needed a father for his child, regardless of who the human was? But then, again, why had he chosen Leon?

Yes, why Leon. That was the question he was really interested in. Why him and not someone else? Why at all?

A memory surfaced again, something he'd not thought about for weeks. The kiss D had given him, on the evening he'd told him he was Dana's mother. He'd nearly forgotten that in all the chaos that had resulted out of that confession. D had liked him back when Dana had been conceived. And he'd still liked him in Japan, obviously. But now?

A little sound from his bedroom made him realise that Dana had woken. He quickly stood, but before he had arrived at her bed, she was already standing in it, crying. Big round tears were streaming down her cheeks and she reached for Leon with helpless arms. "Bàbà!"

He hoisted her up on his hip and stroked her back while she grabbed his hair. By now he was getting used to having it torn the whole time.

Promptly their first meeting appeared in his mind. Back then he had wondered how Dana could be so careless with someone like D. Now he knew why and wished he could trade with the girl.

Quickly he concentrated on the task at hand rather than wallowing in self-pity again. "Ssh, honey, what's the matter? Did you have a nightmare? It can't hurt you, I promise," he whispered. Dana sniffled and raised her head to look at him.

"Bàbà?" she said and Leon shook his head, feeling strange.

"No, sweetie, I'm not bàbà. D's bàbà. I'm – "

Why had they never talked about what Dana was going to call Leon, now that he officially was her father? Back in Tokyo, she'd called him Leon. But that just didn't sound right anymore.

"I'm Daddy, Dana," he said firmly and sat down with the girl on his lap. "I don't know if D explained it to you, but I'm your father, too. D's kind of your mother, and I'm your father. It's difficult, but we're your parents."

Dana's tears dried as she thought it over, pecking her head to the side. "D is bàbà. Leon is daddy," she said and the blonde grinned.

"You got it, missy. Good girl. So, what about going back to sleep now? Tomorrow's going to be a long day. I'm gonna take you sight-seeing in the city, and you should be well rested."

"Dana stay with Daddy." She grabbed his t-shirt with her hands. Leon looked at his bed, looked back at Dana's bed and gave in, sighing.

"But only tonight," he limited, before he placed her beside him and watched her go to sleep in a matter of seconds.

And surprisingly, though his mood was still pretty low, the feeling of her small body in his arms had lulled him into sleep soon, too.

* * *

A/N: Wow, Leon, you're so quick! The Count might be in love with you, no shit, Sherlock... -.- Seriously, what IS it with those two? ... Yeah, I know. I'm the author. Still. What is it with those two?!

Anyway, thank you for the reviews everybody! I'm happy I could make you laugh. ^^  
Still - please remember they have not yet talked about anything serious. I mean, real serious. Just wanted to remind you of that...

So long, Enaty


	8. Investigation forbidden

**Investigation forbidden**

D had anticipated the knock at the door the whole day, but when it sounded through the shop Sunday afternoon, he still startled and stared at the door for a moment before he jumped up and hurried over to open. Leon stepped inside, carrying Dana who called for her kami father quite happily.

The young kami felt the relieved smile on his face without being able to stop it. He extended his arms and felt the weight of his child in them a moment later. Affectionately he kissed her. "Hello my darling. Did you have a nice weekend with your father?" he asked softly. She started to tell him of her adventures at once and he listened, smiling every now and then, and pressing her to his chest. Leon looked at them for a moment and then walked over to the sofa, where he made himself comfortable. Pon-chan crawled into his lap.

"How did it go?" she asked curiously. Leon grinned down at her.

"Good thing she's so pretty, else my neighbours would've made me move out," he replied and the raccoon chuckled.

"Everything went well, then?"

"Yeah, we did fine. We went sight-seeing, and played a lot, and read some books." A shadow darkened Leon's face. "But she had a nightmare Friday night. Dunno why."

"It cannot have frightened her much, else she would've told me," D's soft voice cut in. The blonde looked up and smiled. He seemed relaxed and happy, still the kami felt something else about the human. He had a curious air, almost like a lion on the hunt.

D bent down and poured Leon a cup of tea with Dana sitting on his hip. Leon chuckled. "That's some sort of artistic," he said, taking the cup. "How do you manage to bow without dropping her?"

Now D chuckled. "A lot of experience, Detective," he answered and sat the girl down on his chair. "Did you have lunch before you came here?"

"Nope." The blonde leaned back and continued to scratch Pon-chan, who was liquefying on his lap at the moment, her eyes closed in pure bliss.

"I think T-chan prepared something. Would you care to join us?"

"I hoped you'd say that." Leon grinned and winked at Dana. "I'm not that good at cooking, you know."

He laughed seeing D's baffled face. "Yes, I actually can cook, D. But there's not much sense in cooking for one alone, and besides, I don't have much time. If you want to cook something good, it takes time."

"I'm only gonna believe that when I see it," Tetsu announced from the door to the kitchen and Leon turned to look at him.

"Someday, I'm gonna show you. Now what's for eats, anyway?"

The totetsu snorted, but brought the food over all the same. "Rice with vegetables and my special sauce."

Leon regarded the plates warily. "No meat?" he asked, sounding hopeful. Tetsu grinned, showing his sharp teeth.

"Not unless you want to provide us with some meat," he answered slyly.

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Why do I have the feeling that I don't want to ask what you mean by this?" he asked and D hastily interjected.

"Now, Tetsu, please. Not in front of Dana," he said and handed the girl a spoon. "And Detective, I asked him to prepare something Dana can eat herself without having to use fork and knife. That's the only reason why there's no meat in it."

Leon took his fork and watched his daughter for a moment, already busy with a spoon, small face tight with concentration. "What about you?" he asked. D shook his head.

"I am still a vegetarian, Detective. I would raise Dana to be one, but it's just the same as with Chris. She needs meat to grow properly."

The blonde grinned, hearing D's dismay at that fact, and dug in hungrily. "Well, perhaps we're gonna convince you one day. After all, you're practically surrounded by meat-eaters now."

D caught Tetsu's glance. "You have no idea, Detective," he said dryly. "You have no idea."

Dana was done long before Leon had satisfied his hunger, but that was mostly due to the fact that he kept watching her clumsy attempts at eating instead of eating himself, occasionally helping her. So when the girl slipped down from the chair and tugged Tetsu along with her to tell Honlon about her adventures, Leon stayed in the parlour and finished eating. Then he leaned back on the sofa, one hand still caressing the raccoon.

"How was your weekend, Detective?" D asked, setting the plates on the tea cart.

"I liked it," Leon replied. "It was fun to have her. And I think she liked it, too."

D's lips curved into a smile. He watched them fascinated. Something about D's smile had changed since Tokyo, too. It was different now than before.

"Yes, she seems to have enjoyed herself."

Quickly Leon forced himself to look into the kami's eyes again. "Yeah, but there's something I wanted to ask you…" he started hesitatingly.

D sat down his indispensable teacup. "Yes, Detective, what is it?"

The blue eyes avoided his gaze. The kami stiffened unwillingly. "You know, I just – started thinking while she was asleep. I mean, it's just – why did you get her in the first place?" Leon glanced at him unsure. D sat completely still. "It's just that – you could have aborted her, couldn't you?"

Pon-chan actually bit Leon. "Ouch! What did you do that for? Now don't start like Tetsu, I'm telling you!" he scolded her.

The raccoon glared at him. "How can you ask him such a question?" she cried. "The Count would never abort his child, not even when his grandfather wanted him to!"

Leon's eyes flickered back to D. "Yeah, I thought as much," he said dryly. "And that's exactly why I'm asking, Pon-chan. Because I want to know why he _didn't_ do it."

Luckily the kami had had time to recover, thanks to Pon-chan's distraction. "I realised only when I had been pregnant for a few months, Detective. By that time, aborting the child was out of the question," he answered calmly. Something flickered over Leon's face, so quick and strange he couldn't tell what it was.

"How come you got pregnant in the first place?" he inquired further. "I mean – you surely thought about it being possible before you – did what you did."

D blushed and gazed at his knees. "Yes, I did. It was completely impossible, for all I know. I cannot explain it at all."

Leon grew impatient. This was like walking on moor. You never knew when there would be water under your feet instead of safe ground. More or less safe ground.

"D, c'mon, don't pretend you don't know what I wanna know," he snapped. "Why could I get you pregnant? How does that work? I know you're a hermaphrodite, but please remember that I don't remember anything of that night and don't know anything about your species either. So would you please enlighten me on the subject a little more?"

The young kami pursed his lips and blushed. "I do not think that's your business, Detective," he twittered displeased, but to everyone's surprise, it was Pon-chan who argued. She propped herself up on Leon's lap and stared at her master accusingly.

"Count, stop that! He's got a right to know at least why he is a father now," she cried. Leon grinned and ruffled her fur.

"Thanks, little lady. Just what I wanted to say, too." He turned his gaze back to D, who'd blushed even more at the reprimand from his pet. "So, D, spill the beans. Why?"

Another glare, but the kami answered reluctantly. "My species, Detective, isn't that different to humans in most respects. Otherwise we would not be able to procreate with them. It still is very difficult. That was one of the reasons why I did not expect to conceive." He stopped, glanced away and actually bit his lip.

"Yeah. And?" Leon urged. D shot him another glare.

"As we are both male and female, we do have a certain rhythm in which we are able to conceive," he revealed reluctantly. Leon understood.

"Just like human women have their monthlies, right?" he asked and D nodded.

"We do not bleed, though. It's more like, we just _know_ that we are fertile. That our body is able to take or give a new life. Or even create a new life all by itself."

"And you didn't feel like you were hot," the blonde concluded. D forgot to be embarrassed and tried to kill Leon with looks.

"No, I didn't feel it," he replied icily.

"Huh."

The detective fell silent, gazing at the shop's ceiling while scratching Pon-chan's ear. The raccoon almost melted on the spot. D sent her a bitter glare, one part jealousy and the other anger she'd forced him to reveal one of his secrets.

"But that still doesn't answer my question," Leon said into the silence. Some of the pets smirked, having anticipated he would remember that. D wrinkled his brow. He'd hoped the human would've forgotten.

"Why did you keep her? Why did you not kill her, or why did your grandfather not kill her? Why did you not leave her on my doorstep like you wanted to?"

D took a deep breath. "Detective, I made a mistake. Dana, even though she is the result of this mistake, is still my child. I am sworn to protect life, every kind of life, even life conceived by a human, as is my grandfather. As to why I didn't leave her on your doorstep, surely you can answer that yourself."

He smirked at the blonde who narrowed his eyes. "You know that's not what I'm asking you," he said, voice quiet and threatening. D played with his cup and continued to smirk. It felt good, being in the superior position again for a change.

"I am answering your questions, Detective. If you wish to have more specific information, you have to ask me straight," he teased.

For one split second, something blazed in Leon's eyes and D suddenly feared he would voice his suspicion. But then the strange light disappeared again and the human stood. "I'm off," he announced. "Can't come this evening, have to work. You're going to have to bring the little missy to bed yourself."

"I think I will be able to handle that," D replied dryly and smiled brightly at him. "Goodbye, Detective."

Most of the time, he hated the fact that Leon was not able to talk about his feelings. But today, he truly considered himself lucky. What should he have answered had Leon really asked him if Dana had been conceived in an act of love?

* * *

The park was again buzzing with humans when they made their way to D's favourite place two days later. The young kami pretended not to notice the glances he got, carrying Dana on his arms and followed by Leon with Pon-chan sitting on his shoulder. Tetsu was ahead of them, growling and making sure no one dared to come close. D was quite thankful for that.

Again Leon spent some time explaining different things to his child while D prepared blanket and food. Dana was restless, she wanted to explore further, and so she quickly took off with Pon-chan after eating. Leon leaned back on the blanket and blinked into the setting sun. The young kami busied himself with packing the picnic basket again.

"So you didn't want her, but you kept her all the same."

D sighed softly. Why had he hoped the subject was closed? He should've known Leon better.

"I was surprised, Detective. But apart from the admittedly strange situation I found myself in, there was no reason to get rid of Dana," he said and stopped putting things back into the basket to look around for the subject of their conversation, which, as it happened, was busy chasing Pon-chan around.

Leon sighed, too, and it sounded kind of exasperated. "D. If you wanted to get a kid –"

"I did not want to get a child. In fact, it was as far from my intention as anything can possibly be," the kami cut him off.

"Fine, then," the blonde snapped back. "But you can't deny that what you did was something that _can_ result in a baby if you aren't careful. What you weren't."

"I do not intend to deny that."

The discussion was heating up. Leon had risen onto his elbows and D was leaning forward as if to jump at Leon's throat any second. Tetsu watched them worriedly. Tension between those two was not what anyone needed right now, but it had been brewing since they'd arrived in America. Not surprisingly, considering into what chaos they'd stumbled. Still… how did they suppose this to work out if they kept on having secrets?

"And I want to know why, damn it all! Why did you do it?" Leon's blue eyes were blazing, but D's mismatched ones contained just the same amount of fire.

"I already told you that I thought conceiving to be impossible!"

"That's not what I mean, and you know it! I'm sick of you evading me again! Why me?"

"What why you?"

"Why did you fuck me if you needed to? Hell, do I have to spell it for you or what?!"

"Don't you dare imply that I need sex!"

"Well if you don't need it then I gotta ask why you did it at all!"

The young kami was loosing control rapidly. His face was ghostly white and his fists trembled in rage. He looked like close to hitting the blonde, but Leon was on the edge himself. "Stop tip-toeing around and just tell me why the fuck you did it!"

"That's none of your business!"

"Well, I think it is, since I am the one who was practically raped here!"

Their voices were getting louder and louder. Dana stopped chasing Pon-chan and looked over at them confused. Tetsu thanked any god he could think of that they were in a hidden corner of the park and no one was listening to them at the moment. Had they lost their minds, yelling at each other here in the open?

He hurried over and tried to get in between. "Count, we're outside! Everyone can listen to you!" he cried, but Leon shoved him away rather uncaringly.

"Shut up, _goat_!" he snarled. "I've got a right to know at least why he did that!"

"You have the right to see your child, but not the right to ask me questions!" D gave back hotly. Tetsu watched Dana come over, blue eyes wide and scared.

"Not fight!" she cried in Chinese. "Daddy bàbà not fight!"

Her fathers didn't listen to her, so she crawled in between them and pushed at their chests with her small hands. "Not fight daddy!"

Perhaps she wouldn't have had any success, considering that her parents were so encased in their fury that they barely noticed her, but waving around wildly in an attempt to get their attention, the girl caught Leon's throat with one of her nails. The human yelped and jerked back.

"Dammit!" he cursed, touching his throat and glaring at the little one. She immediately started to cry.

"This is all your fault!" D hissed and tugged the child to him to embrace her protectively. "Ssh, be quiet, my darling," he soothed. "Be still, my beautiful, pretty baby. Poor dear, being treated so mean by your father."

"Not fight! Not fight bàbà daddy!" Dana sobbed. Leon extended his arms. D shook his head and pressed the girl to his chest.

"Dammit, D, she's my kid, too!"

"If you want to raise her properly, you should probably at first learn to control your temper!"

"That's the right one talking here! Who started this in the first place?"

"If you hadn't been drunk that evening, if you hadn't talked so strangely about me, nothing would ever have happened!"

"So it's my fault you raped me?!" Leon gaped at the kami, returning the look defiantly. "Well, I'd for sure like to know what I am supposed to have said that you thought you could take advantage!"

D blushed, but kept rocking his child and glaring. "You were the one who said you needed me. Not me."

"I never said that!" the blonde sputtered.

"Oh yes you did! And you said you liked me, and, and that you were angry because I had given Chris away when we three had been a _family_…"

Suddenly, all anger disappeared as if it had never been there. Leon stared at the young kami, who probably didn't even notice he was blinking angrily to keep the tears from falling. He looked so miserable. Poor D. Poor little D.

"Okay. You don't have to tell me," he said softly. "Gimme the kid. We'll go play, okay Dana?"

The child nodded and wriggled free from her kami father's grip to take Leon's big hand trustingly. They went away to explore. D, watching them play, bit his lip unconsciously. He knew what Leon wanted to know, and he wasn't willing to tell the detective any of it. This here was bad enough.

* * *

"D. What are you doing with _my_ daughter?!"

Leon, just having arrived, stopped in the door and stared at the kami, who was grimly trying to hold his wriggling child still, brow drawn together threateningly.

"I am, Detective, trying to clip her nails!" he snapped, changed to Chinese and scolded Dana. The girl's face contorted and she started to wail in protest. The blonde dropped the bakery box, strode over and snatched her up, much to D's dismay.

"Detective!" he practically yelled. "Dana's nails need to be clipped!"

"Yeah, I know, I was the one she scratched yesterday," Leon gave back and rocked his daughter. "Ssh, sweetie, stop crying. Bàbà's not trying to hurt you, he's just clipping your nails. They are too long, you gave me a big scratch yesterday, remember? Cool down."

"Dana don't want scratch," the girl sniffed. Leon rocked her more.

"Yeah, I know, I'm not angry, Dana. What about you stay on my lap and D clips your nails, huh? I could read you a book."

She brightened at once. "Book! Little bear and his friends!"

Blue eyes met mismatched ones, smiling at each other weakly for a moment, then realised what they were doing and quickly wandered off. They were not aware that a lot of other eyes were watching them closely. They only noticed the sudden silence.

D blushed, Leon cleared his throat and looked around for Dana's book. "Sweetie, where is it?"

"I will fetch it," the young kami volunteered, stood and unnecessarily smoothed out his cheongsam with feeble hands before he went and brought the book from Dana's corner. Leon's eyes were riveted to his graceful form. Today's cheongsam was dark blue with beautiful white lilies printed on it. Again D had chosen to wear one of his white see-through shirts beneath, and the silk caressed his slender arms.

Hastily the blonde tore his gaze away and sat down on the sofa, letting Dana choose the most comfortable position for her. D followed a moment later, handing him the book. He was as uneasy as Leon, and the girl noticed. She stilled her movements and looked between them with great eyes, having forgotten what it was they were here for.

But her human father remembered. "Would you come closer? You're gonna twist her arm if you stay there while you clip her nails!" he said defiantly.

"I won't!" D snapped back, glad to be able to release the tension in this way. He didn't budge either. Leon grimaced and scooted closer. Suddenly their thighs were touching.

Before D could even think about taking a deep, surprised breath, the blonde had trusted the girl's hand at him. "Now start, otherwise the book's gonna be finished before you even started!" he grumbled. The kami adjusted the nail clipper.

"Well, then take more time reading. It's simple, you know. Ask her questions about what she sees," he answered and the human blushed.

"What?! No!"

"And how else is she going to learn more English if you aren't going to teach her?" the kami asked calmly. It got him a glare from Leon, but he gave in reluctantly.

"Hey, what's this on this picture there, honey? Do you know what it his?" he asked and his daughter pecked her head to the side and considered her answer.

"Xué," she answered and the blonde glared at D biting back a smile.

"Great, what am I going to say now? I don't even know if it's right!"

"She said 'cave'," Pon-chan enlightened him and crawled up on the sofa, too. Leon helped her absent-mindedly.

"Yeah, that's right, Dana, that's a – a xué," he said, feeling incredibly stupid. "But here in America, we call it cave."

"Cave," the girl replied dutifully. The blonde groaned.

"Great. I need an interpreter if I want to read a book to my child," he complained. It didn't faze D in the least. He changed to Leon's other side, working on the fingernails there now.

"So far, she seems to understand you pretty good. It's only you who doesn't understand her," he said and looked up to meet Leon's blue eyes. "Detective, so far Dana just wanted to hear your voice. Now it's up to you to teach her English so she can actually understand what you are telling her. She's a bright child. She will learn quickly."

For a moment, their eyes stayed locked. Then Dana tugged at Leon's sleeve and he returned to reading her the book while D resumed clipping her nails.

Dana would probably be far more able to adjust to the new situation than her fathers.

* * *

The whimpering sound besides his bed made D startle. He sat up in his bed and tried locate the small sound confused, still half asleep. His mind only slowly focused on the here and now, still being busy with the dream he'd had. Or better, the memory of a dream. He'd had that dream so often now, he was wondering how he could still be afraid of it. But he was, and the terror chilled his bones like every time.

So it took him a few seconds to realise the soft whimpers were coming from Dana's cradle. The young kami shot up like a lightning and bent over the cradle. The baby was still asleep, but she was crying in her sleep, and waving her arms around wildly. "Darling, what is it?" D gasped and nearly hurt her trying to get her out and into his arms as quickly as possible. "Dana, Dana, my baby, be quiet, ssh," he tried to soothe the child.

She pressed her eyes close as if in pain and clenched her fists. A high wail slowly made its way from her throat and she started to shriek. Panic rose within the young kami. He'd dealt with a lot of unexpected occurrences since Dana had been born. She'd grazed her knees, she'd fallen down, and she'd had nightmares. But never had he seen her so frightened, and it frightened him, too. The only time he'd felt panic remotely like this had been the birth, and he was pretty sure that the situation now didn't apply.

"Dana, wake up!" he urged the child and shook her gently. The door was opened and Tetsu came inside, golden eyes worried.

"What's the matter, Count?" he asked and looked at the baby. "Why is she crying?"

"I don't know," D answered and felt his heart race. "I don't know, Tetsu!"

Blue-golden eyes snapped open, wide with terror and fright. "DADDY!" she screamed. "DADDY!"

The young kami stared at the child. "Tetsu, get the phone," he said with white lips. "Call the precinct. And then give me the phone."

He pressed Dana tight against his chest and carried her around, trying to calm the child with no visible success. She wouldn't stop crying and calling for Leon.

"Here."

Tetsu handed the phone over. D's heart was beating double-time. The free line signal beeped into his ear. Then someone took up the receiver. "LAPD, Detective Freshney, what can I do for you?"

"Miss Jill!"

Jill sat up at her desk. "Count! What's the matter?"

Leon, opposite to her, looked up worriedly. The woman placed a finger over her lips. "Yes, he's here, right in front of me. No, nothing."

A short pause.

"To me he looks fine. Tired, but fine and in one piece. Yes, I'll hand you over."

Leon grabbed the phone. "D, what's the matter? Are you okay?"

He heard the child cry before D's sweet voice floated through the receiver. "What's the matter with Dana?"

"She's crying for you, Detective. I don't know what the matter is. I think she had a nightmare. Can you – can you come?"

"Crying for me?" Leon exchanged an astounded glance with Jill. He could feel that D was off-track. His voice was shaky. He could hear it. "Yeah, course I can come. No problem. Jill, I can go over, can't I?"

The woman glanced at the clock and nodded. "Go and take care of your baby," she said. Leon smiled at her.

"I'll be there in a minute, D," he said into the receiver.

"Yes," the kami answered. "Thank you."

Leon stared at the receiver for a moment before he returned it to Jill and left, hands buried deep in his pockets.

T-chan opened the door for him. "Hey, baby," Leon whispered and took the child from D's arms, pressing her close. She buried her fists in his pullover and continued sobbing. He looked at the kami. D was pale and seemed shaken. "She said anything?"

A slight shake of head. Leon sighed and rocked the girl. "C'mon, darling, it can't be that bad. It was just a nightmare. Cool down."

He started walking around in the front room. Dana's cries slowly died down. Her fists loosened. Finally her head dropped onto Leon's shoulder. He still kept walking around the parlour until he was sure the child was fast asleep again. Then he carried her back to her cradle and tucked the covers around her. D had followed him and now stood besides him, looking at the baby, too.

"I'd really like to know what she dreamt," the blonde whispered into the silence. D gave no answer. He glanced at the kami. "She cried for me, you said? Or why did you call me at the precinct?"

D sighed softly. "I wanted to make sure she'd not had a true dream," he replied quietly.

The blonde shuffled. "A true dream?"

"Yes." The kami turned and left the bedroom. Leon followed, noticing that D was only wearing a sweet, light blue pyjama. He was cute. So cute he could have taken him into his arms and…

"True dreams are what Mrs Miller had, too. A kind of foreboding."

D didn't say more about it and Leon didn't inquire further. But he wondered if D had intended to let him know he'd been worried for his well-being or if it had just slipped by accident, due to worry and fatigue.

And he also wondered what that meant for him and their relationship to each other.

* * *

A/N: _Everyone_'s wondering that, Leon dear... (aren't we, Angie? ^^ You're absolutely right: is he or is he not, that's the question.)

Anyway, thank you all for the reviews and especially thank you, **bc**! And I very much doubt Leon would put up Disney posters on his walls o.O He'd probably be more scared than Dana xD


	9. And it IS an onwork kindergarten!

**And it IS an on-work kindergarten!**

"Leon!"

The blonde looked up to Len from the report he'd been studying with a wrinkled brow. "Yeah, what's the matter?" he asked. The brown-haired man crossed his arms.

"The Count's standing outside and says he wants to see you," he informed the blonde. "And he's got his kid with him."

Leon shot up. "What?!"

Quickly he made his way to the corridor where D was waiting patiently, surrounded by some officers admiring the girl. The kami was smiling his fake business smile and Dana had hidden her head in his shoulder so that no one was able to see her eyes, a fact for which Leon was quite glad. He strode over to them, grabbing D harder than necessary and dragging the kami away, who barely managed to say goodbye to the humans.

"What are you doing here with the kid?" the blonde growled angrily and made sure no one could overhear their conversation. D's fake smile faded and he looked distressed.

"I am, Detective, bringing your daughter over," he snapped.

Leon's eyes narrowed. "And why, if I may ask? 'Cause, you know, this is not a kindergarten, but the precinct."

"I have to go to an old customer of ours. He lives quite far away, and I cannot take Dana with me. The drive takes more than one hour and I will need at least two hours there," the kami replied sharply. "I do have a business to run, Detective."

"And why exactly do you bring her to me then?" He didn't get a reply and sighed. Seemed as if D had set his mind on ignoring Leon's protest. Just great.

"Dana, be a good girl and don't disturb your father while he is working!" D told his daughter earnestly and set her down beside Leon's chair, then straightened again and looked at Leon, who in turn was watching him wearily.

"D, are you sure you can't leave her at the shop? You'll only be gone four hours, and Tetsu and Honlon can look after her," he argued, but D shook his head firmly.

"Honlon is very busy at the moment, and my dear T-chan needs a break as well. One would think that you could look after your daughter for four hours," he chided icily.

Leon gave in, knowing he wouldn't convince D otherwise, and silently thanking his foresight that he had done all questionings yesterday and today only had to write the reports. "But be back in time!" he said grumpily and the kami wrinkled his brow.

"May I remind you that I am always punctual, in contrast to you?"

The blonde waved him away. "Yeah, yeah, get off before I change my mind. And pray the chief doesn't see her around, he was already pretty pissed about last time."

D wisely decided not to answer to that, bent down to kiss Dana good-bye and vanished with a last mean glance at the detective.

The cubicle grew silent for some time, except for the little voice of the girl who was playing with her toys and inventing a story as she did so, talking both in English and Chinese. Leon snatched up some sentences and smiled. Okay, she was cute. He didn't mind her being here as long as she didn't disturb him, but still, the plaza was not a good place for a kid to be…

"Hey Leon!" Jill turned round the corner and set her bag down on her desk, eyes falling on Dana immediately. "What…?"

The blonde shrugged. "D has to go to a customer living out of town and doesn't want to leave Dana alone at the shop. He says because the pets require a break from her, but I think because he's afraid something like last time will happen. So she's here for four hours, then he'll pick her up again."

"Oh. I see." Jill knelt down and smiled at the girl. "Hello Dana. Do you remember me?"

She was rewarded with a bright smile. "Jill fucking nanny!"

Leon snorted out loud and quickly tried to pretend to cough. Jill grimaced. "Well, I guess I brought it upon myself," she said dryly. "Dana, don't tell your Bàbà that I taught you that. It's a very, very bad word, and nice girls like you don't use bad words."

The child looked up at her father questioningly. "She's right, sweetie. Bàbà will be very angry with Jill and me if he hears you say that," the blonde agreed.

Dana smiled brightly. "Won't tell. Swear," she said and Jill sighed.

"Oh Leon, she really is a little sunshine, ain't she? You're so lucky with her!"

Her mournful face told her friend that she would love to have a kid like Dana herself. He shifted uncomfortably. "Jill, don't worry. You'll find someone. You're smart, and you're pretty. There's no reason why you shouldn't find someone," he said and quickly added, "Besides, she's not at all little Miss Sunshine when she wants to have her way. Then she's more like thunder and lightning all at once."

The blonde woman chuckled and got up again. "I bet. Last time was pretty bad. So, what're you doing?"

Leon gestured at his desk. "Writing my reports. Still trying to figure out how Gavin McGallen managed to kill Laura while twenty people swear he was in that Casino losing his money to them. You?"

"Trying to figure out how those drug-dealers got 12 pounds of crack through a police control," she answered.

They exchanged a weak glance and sighed deeply. "You know, I always wanted to be a police officer because I wanted to bust the bad guys so that the world would be a little safer for everyone else. But no one told me I'd spend more time doing paperwork than actually busting someone when I signed into Academy," Leon complained.

Jill grimaced. "Well, too late for that now, honey. At least you get to work outside sometimes. I'm stuck in here with analysing observation protocols. Wanna trade?"

"No, thanks, I'm having fun on my own," the blonde quickly fended it off. Then his gaze fell to the floor and his daughter, busy with her toys. "Hey, you could give them to Dana and see what she does with them," he suggested, grinning. Jill snorted, an amused sparkle in her eyes.

"Yeah, the chief'll love me for it, I'm sure. If she happens to do the same with them as she did with your papers last time, I'm lucky if I survive the following blow-up."

"Daddy, want to paint!" Dana tugged at Leon's t-shirt and he turned to her to give her crayons and paper. Jill switched on her computer and they worked in silence until the phone rang. Leon got the call and jumped up, grabbing his jacket and revolver.

"Yeah, I got it. Thanks. I'll be there in a minute!" he yelled into the receiver and hung up again, turning to Jill.

"Listen, Jill, I've gotta go, I'm sorry. Seems someone felt like avenging Laura's death and shot Gavin. He's not dead, but I have to get to him before he recovers from his shock, perhaps he'll spill something now," he explained rapidly and bent down to Dana. "Sweetie, behave, daddy'll be back soon. Stay with Auntie Jill, okay?"

"But, Leon -" said wanted to protest, but he just hugged her quickly and strode out.

"Thanks so much, Jill! I won't be long, promise!"

The blonde woman stared after him nonplussed. "But, Leon, I've got an interrogation myself in twenty minutes…" she told the spot where Leon had been two seconds before.

"Jill want to play?" Dana asked and offered her the plush cat. She turned to the kid and gestured helplessly.

"No, Dana, thanks, I don't want to play. Geez, Leon, that's just so you! What shall I do with you now, Dana? I can't take you to the interrogation with me…"

* * *

"Fuck!" Leon swore and hit the brakes. His car came to a screeching stop. He tipped the steering wheel impatiently and sent another glance at the watch in his fittings. Forty minutes until D would be back to pick their daughter up again. And he wouldn't be pleased at all that Leon had left her alone.

Again the blonde swore fluently, taking his chance at doing so scot-free. If his mission would have had any success, he wouldn't mind. He trusted Jill to look after his daughter, but this whole case was beginning to seriously piss him off. Or better, Gavin McGallen was. The guy was a braggart of the worst kind, a macho and – in Leon's opinion – one of the worst assholes that ever walked earth (even topping D in that, though Leon had originally thought there just could be no greater asshole than D. That had, of course, been before the guy gave birth to his child).

He'd so hoped he might catch Gavin unaware, but when he arrived at the hospital, he was still in attendance, and by the time he came out, his lawyer had arrived. Besides, Gavin had been so shell-shocked by the fact that someone had _dared_ to shoot him that he'd not been able to say one useful thing. He hadn't even been able to tell Leon who his attacker had been, though he'd been shot from a very short distance and must've seen the guy.

In fact, the only delightful event about this had been the fact that Leon had for once seen that son-of-a-bitch without a good repartee on his lips. Though he wasn't supposed to and would probably get an admonition from the chief for it, he was spiteful and had let Gavin feel it. That guy deserved nothing better. Pity the attacker hadn't been able to aim better.

Back at the plaza he jumped out of the car and hurried to the entrance, already counting the minutes down until D's arrival. Thirty-three minutes left. Well, that was still plenty of time. He could sit down, get himself a cup of coffee and look as if he'd never been away from his desk the whole afternoon.

He met Jill in the corridor to their department, showing a ragged-looking, smelling guy out and stopped dead in his tracks. She caught sight of him and left the guy at once, hurrying over to him, starting to talk, but he cut her off.

"Where. Is. Dana?" he asked, voice threatening. She looked apologetic.

"Leon, I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you before you left, but you were gone so quick I had no chance. I had interrogations the whole afternoon." Seeing his brows draw together ominously, she quickly added, "But I made sure someone's looking after Dana. I gave her to Jessica from traffics."

Leon's face lost its tense expression. "Oh. Thanks, Jill. Then I'll just go pick her up."

She smiled. "No problem. I'm done now, too. Guy had nothing new to tell. He's constantly so high he wouldn't notice a blue elephant in front of him." She snorted and fell in beside Leon while he strode down the corridor. "What about Gavin?"

"Still an asshole, but at least this time a speechless one. Let his lawyer do the talking and pretended to be the poor assaulted innocent." Leon, too, snorted disparagingly. "God, I'd bust the guy for being an asshole if I could! Someone like him shouldn't be allowed to walk around without a muzzle!"

Jill chuckled. "Reminds me distantly of someone else with a big mouth," she teased and he glared.

"Hey, at least I don't think I'm godsend!"

"That's true," she admitted and pointed to the woman at the coffee machine. "There's Jessica. But what-"

The woman turned and smiled when she saw them. "Leon, Jill, hey! Jill, that girl you gave me – I had to hand her over to Christian from your department. The chief needed me. Is that bad?" she asked, concerned by the sudden dark look on both of their faces. Leon turned to glare at Jill accusingly, who held out her hands.

"Hey, I'm sorry! This is the plaza, not a kindergarten, you know that. Let's just get her from Christian."

"I'll come with you," Jessica said, looking worried. "Jill, I'm sorry, I didn't know it's so important, else I would've told the chief to wait until you're done."

The blonde woman jerked her thumb in Leon's direction who was already walking back the corridor they'd just come down. "Don't tell me, tell him. She's his."

Jessica gaped and hurried to keep step with them. "Leon, you've got a kid? Really?! Why didn't you tell? She must be, well, about more than a year old! Who's her mum?"

"She's got no mum," the blonde said through gritted teeth and pushed open the doors to their department, striding down the line of cubicles to Christian's place. Jessica looked at Jill confused, but she just shrugged and hurried after Leon.

Stepping inside Christian's cubicle, the blonde noticed two things at once. First, that Dana wasn't here, and second, that Christian was busy talking into the receiver, a big crease on his forehead. "No, don't do that. I told you that's not what you should do. Damn, Leah, can't you just for once listen to me?! How am I supposed to help you if you never listen – Honey, wait a second. Leon! What's the matter?"

"Where is Dana?" the blonde gritted and barely refrained from grabbing his colleague at his collar. He looked confused and placed a hand over the receiver.

"Why, what's the matter? Jessica gave her to me, but I got a call from my wife, one of her friends received blackmail. Alex from second floor said he'd take her while I get someone to work on that. What's she got to do with you anyway? Leon?!"

The blonde had already turned around again and was now nearly running down the line. Jill and Jessica looked at their confused colleague. "He's a pretty new father," Jill said apologetic and hurried after her friend, Jessica on her heels.

Christian looked nonplussed. "Father?!" he echoed and hung up. "What do you mean, father? Leon's a _father_?!"

He stood up and chased after them. "Dana's Leon's kid," Jessica explained, panting a little because Leon was really fast. "He gave her to Jill, but she had interrogations and gave her to me, and I to you, because I had to go to the chief."

"Yeah, and the Count's gonna pick her up any minute and he'll be pretty pissed if he finds out Leon didn't watch her the whole time," Jill chimed in.

They all crowded the elevator. Leon still didn't speak; he hammered on the button to the second floor and glared at the wall in hostile silence. Christian looked confused. "Wait, why is the Count coming to pick Leon's kid up? What's with the mother, doesn't she have time?"

Jill sent a careful glance in the blonde's direction who was still ignoring them. "We-ell, that's kind of difficult…" she said slowly. The ping of the elevator and the door opening to the second floor saved her any explanations. They all tumbled out and hastily made their way to the desk where Alex was working. He looked up in surprise when he noticed the assemblage in front of it.

"Wow, what's up? Is it my birthday and I forgot? What're you all doing here?"

Leon's eyes scanned the surroundings, but Dana wasn't here either. "Where is the girl Christian gave you?" he demanded.

The younger held up his hands. "Whoa, Leon, slow down. I didn't know what to do with her, so I gave her to Barf."

Sudden silence fell. All four stared at Alex who visibly shrank in his seat. "What?" he defended himself weakly. "I'm a guy, guys. I don't know what to do with children, I don't have any. Barf's at least a woman. I didn't even baby-sit once in my life!"

"You gave her to Barf?!" Leon yelled and grabbed him. "You gave _my daughter_ to Barf?!"

Alex quickly freed himself and smoothed his shirt, looking hurt. "Hey, first, I didn't know she's your daughter, since when do you even have one, and second, Barf's not that bad. She's just a little different."

Leon turned, fuming. "Fuck you, Alex, Barf's a wacko! I can't believe you gave a small kid to someone who slices up corpses the whole day!"

"If you'd take the time to get to know her, you'd find out that she's actually a very nice person!" Alex yelled after them and got out behind his desk. "And why is your daughter at the plaza, anyway? It's not a place for kids, and we don't have an on-work kindergarten."

The blonde was already out the door again, the other three in tow, and the young officer was forced to follow them. Again they crowded the elevator, and Jill was kind enough to explain. "Because the Count had a meeting and didn't want to leave her at the shop," she said patiently, ignoring Leon fuming beside her.

Alex looked as nonplussed as the others had. "What's that Chinese gotta do with her? I thought she was Leon's daughter. Has he made him look after her like he did with his brother?"

Jill opened her mouth to answer, but Leon beat her to it.

"Damn you all, the Count's her mother!" he burst out enraged. "And he's gonna kill me for sure if he finds out you left her with Barf! Dammit, Alex, she's not even two years old! You can't just leave her with a wacko pathologist!"

"The Count's her mother?!" three surprised voices echoed.

"I always thought he's a guy!" Jessica exclaimed and Leon blushed, realising he'd made a mistake.

"No, he's not," he said grumpily. "Can you please shut up now?"

"Wait, wait, wait a second. The Count's not a guy, but a woman, and you fucked her and got her pregnant?" Alex summed up and gaped at Leon. "I thought you hated him! Her. Whatever."

The blonde lost his nerves. "No, obviously I don't, else I wouldn't have a kid with him. And he's _not_ a woman. Not completely."

"He's both?!" Jessica squealed with shining eyes. "Oh, that's soooo cool!"

"Yeah, ain't it?" Jill conceded. Three heads jerked around to look at the women in horror.

"Wow, that must be awesome! I bet he'd understand much better than the guys how to treat a woman in bed!" Jessica continued. Said guys started to speak all at once, angrily defending their gender.

"That's such bullshit, there're a lot of guys who treat women very good in bed!" Alex folded his arms and glared.

Christian hurried to take his side. "My wife has never complained, either."

Both women rolled their eyes. "Oh, Christian, she's your wife!" Jill said knowingly. "She won't complain because she loves you."

Her colleague looked hurt and Leon cut in. "Sorry to disappoint you, ladies, but in fact I don't think he'd be that awesome lover," he said grumpily and all heads turned towards him, the women looking disappointed and the men relieved.

"Well, you must know, Leon," Christian said. Alex cut in.

"So, he really is half man, half woman? Fuck, that's strange! I didn't know that was possible!"

Leon cleared his throat. "Is," he mumbled, trying to avoid their eyes. But they wouldn't let him off the hook and followed him out of the elevator when they finally reached the basement.

"He's got a pussy? And what else does he have, does he have, like, a cock like some normal guy?" Alex asked eagerly.

"Alex!" Jill and Jessica screeched in dismay and Leon stopped to glare at him threateningly.

"If he hasn't got a pussy, then how should he give birth to the kid, huh?!" the youngest defended himself. "What's it like, Leon, in bed, I mean? I bet he's not that cold and distant in bed as he is the whole other time!"

The blonde's face took on a very unhealthy red colour and he snarled. "Alex, if you don't shut up in a second, I swear I'm gonna kill you!" he barked and continued to stride to the pathology lab. "It's none of your business how the Count's in bed! And everything else is twice none of your business!"

Jill and Jessica snickered and quickly hid their laughter behind their hands. Christian stared pointedly at the wall while Alex mumbled something indecipherable under his breath.

Leon, ahead of them all, decided that he was going to kill someone for sure today, and odds were good that it would be Alex. God, how could that guy even _dare_ to ask about D's anatomy?!

And he would've been pissed about that question even if he could actually remember what D's anatomy looked like.

Anyway, what did he _think_ leaving Dana to Barf?! That woman was nuts, and that was still an understatement! She hadn't gotten that name for no reason. She'd started working at the plaza's pathology just when the series 'Bones' had started and because she resembled that Brennan woman pretty much, it hadn't been a week before everybody was calling her Bones, too. But she'd objected and told them that she was not at all like Temperance Brennan, and by the way, she had as much to do with rotten flesh as with bones.

If one believed plaza's grapevine, that was how her new nickname had been created. 'Bones And Rotten Flesh'.

But most just attributed it to the fact that whenever she lunched together with someone, that poor bastard could afterwards be seen hurrying to the toilet. Barf loved her job, and she loved talking about it even more.

And Alex had given his daughter to that wacko woman. That guy was _so_ dead.

Practically bursting with rage, Leon pushed open the doors to the pathology lab and strode inside. He saw Dana at once, sitting on the desk in front of Barf who was calmly eating an apple while she showed the girl pictures of different bones. "And that, lovely, that's the sternum. It's here."

She pointed to Dana's chest and the girl obligingly looked down and repeated the word. "Sternum."

Barf smiled. "Clever girl."

"Dana! C'mere, sweetie!" Leon reached for his daughter who turned at the sound of his voice and squealed in delight.

"Daddy!"

"Oh, thank god, you're alright!" the blonde breathed and hugged her tightly. She immediately took advantage of his mood and grabbed his ponytail, causing the hair tie to snap and his hair to fall free.

"Dana good girl!" she told proudly. "Dana learn bones!"

"Yeah, I see that." Her father glared at the pathologist. "If you showed her any pictures of the people you've got in here, I'll -" He stopped talking, remembering that the child would pick it up at once. Instead he hugged her again. "C'mon, we're gonna go back to my office and then you'll go home with D."

The others arrived, panting, the women with tears in their eyes and grins plastered all over their faces. "Dana, hello, honey! See, Leon, she's alright," Jill said and turned to her friend.

"Yeah, no thanks to you," he accused and she crossed her arms.

"Well, if you'd waited just another minute to listen to me, nothing of this would've been necessary. Or if you'd for once managed to stand your ground and told D four hours alone at the shop won't hurt her," she said.

"Geez, she _really_ looks like you and the Count in one!" Alex sputtered and stared at Dana, hands buried in Leon's hair.

"Of course she does, she's ours!" the blonde barked. Barf cut in, eyes blazing interestedly behind her glasses.

"Leon, she really is your and the Count's daughter? Wow. I thought she looked a lot like you, and those Asian features… But I never would've thought she's the Count's kid! Aren't you two always fighting?"

"We _were_ always fighting, before Dana was born," Leon corrected and collected Dana's cat from Barf's desk. The pathologist looked intrigued.

"Wait, how can that be? If he's a human, how can he be – both?" Alex had finally managed to pry his mind loose from D's anatomy and was now starting to get suspicious.

Leon blushed. "Uh…" he said, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, Barf took over for him.

"Alex, that's nothing abnormal," she said calmly and adjusted her glasses. "Hermaphroditism in humans is very rare, but it does happen. And if he's more female than male, there's no reason why he shouldn't be able to have kids. Actually, it's not real hermaphroditism, because those are always infertile. It's pseudohermaphroditism, female pseudohermaphroditism if he's a woman. What he, apparently, has to be if he gave birth to a child. Only his outer appearance is more male than female, but the primary sexual characteristics are female," she lectured.

Five grown-ups and one child stared at her speechless. Barf shrugged. "What's the matter? It's a human problem that everything has to be strictly defined. Plants and animals aren't that accurate. They can be both and that's okay. Only humans think that an in-between is something sick."

"You sound just like D," Leon croaked. "He said that when we had that case with that computer-fish-freak, what's-his-name, Jordi."

"I would very much like to meet that Count of yours, Leon," Barf said and smiled a little shyly. "It sounds as if he's a very interesting person."

The blonde nodded as if in trance. "I'll introduce you one day," he promised.

Jill snapped out of her stunned state and looked at the clock. "Leon!" she shrieked. "He's gonna be here any minute! Hurry up!"

"God, yeah! Thanks, Barf. Bye!" Leon called and broke into a full run, Jill at his heels. The rest stayed behind, still regarding Barf with strange glances.

"I wonder why he prefers to be perceived as a male," she said thoughtfully and returned to her desk with a sigh. "Anyway, I've gotta get back to work, lost enough time with the kid. Anyone cares to help me cut up that drug addict that was found stabbed in the backyard?"

Collective choking sounds were her only answer, and the remaining three persons quickly left.

* * *

"So, sweetie, there you go." Leon smoothed Dana's dress and swivelled his chair to his computer. "And remember, Bàbà doesn't need to know where you spent your afternoon, okay? It's our little secret."

Dana held up her hand. "Swear!" she said. The blonde grinned down at her.

"God, Dana, you're the best kid I could've gotten myself," he said. Jill, peeking round the corner, squeaked and hurried to her desk, too.

"He's coming!" she hissed. Leon took one of Dana's books in his hands and started to read to her.

When D rounded the corner, he was greeted by the sight of Leon reading Dana's favourite book to her while Jill was busy writing something on her computer. He breathed a silent sigh of relief. His worry had been gratuitous. Leon had taken good care of their daughter, and Dana seemed pretty happy, sitting there on his lap, though she looked a little tired.

His lion looked up and rewarded him with a smile that seemed a bit awkward. "Hi D, how did it go?"

The kami crossed the room and kissed his daughter on the forehead before he straightened and answered. "Very well, Detective, thank you. Did you have any problems with her?"

Father and child looked at each other. "No, no problems at all. Dana was a good kid the whole time," Leon said and grinned. D could've sworn he winked at her. But probably he was just tired, too.

"Very well, then I shall take her to the shop. It is time for her dinner anyway," he said and took the child up in his arms.

"Do that. I'll be around to read her story at bedtime," Leon conceded and handed Dana her plush cat. D sniffed. Strange, he thought he smelled some cleaning fluid on Dana's clothes… something humans used in laboratories…

Shaking his head, he returned his attention to Leon, who was handing him Dana's toys as well. "See you later, sweetie," he said and let himself be hugged by Dana, smiling a little embarrassed. D's heart skipped a beat at being so close to the human.

"Until bedtime, then, Detective," he managed and turned before the human could notice the blush in his cheeks.

Jill smiled and waved at Dana. "Until next time, honey!" she called and Dana waved back.

D left the precinct, feeling a little proud that he'd been right. Leon had obviously managed to look after their daughter even though he was working. Perhaps he could leave her at the plaza more often in the future. He'd welcome the time without the wild child and she seemed content, even if tired.

Yes, that was a good idea. The plaza was, after all, a safe place as long as Leon was there.

* * *

A/N: Hey guys, thanks for the reviews... please excuse me not commenting on them, I'm sick and feeling everything but well... But know that I was very happy about them! Enaty


	10. Jealousy

**Jealousy**

Leon took a deep breath and sent a glance around, but no one was there to watch him knock at the chief's door. So he summoned up all of his courage and knocked.

"Come in!" the chief bellowed from inside and Leon did as he was told, carefully closing the door behind him. The man looked up from some report and regarded him with some astonishment. "Orcot, you feeling well? You never close any door quietly," he said. "What's the matter? Have you fucked up something again?"

The blonde glared for a second. "No, I haven't," he replied. "Jill sent me here. She said I've gotta talk to you if I want the weekend off."

He almost writhed under the gaze. Then the chief indicated the chair in front of his desk and laid aside the report. "Leon, have a seat. I wanted to talk to you about that anyway," he said and the young detective gulped.

"I know I've always worked weekends," he started, but the chief silenced him.

"Sit down, boy."

Leon did as he was told and tried to appear relaxed. His superior regarded him. "I guess you want to take the weekend off to take your kid?" he inquired.

Leon nodded. "Yeah. D and I decided I'd have her every few weeks so he can have some free time, too," he mumbled. The chief smiled, obviously satisfied.

"I'm happy to hear that. Congratulations, Leon. Both that you got a kid and that you finally managed to get along with the Count. I've got to say, I was starting to loose hope."

The blonde stared at his superior. "What?"

The man leaned back in his chair, grinning widely. "Don't think I didn't notice you spent a lot of time not working, but looking for clues as to where the Count had gone to. Or that you weren't sick two months ago when Jill kept telling me you were. I'm happy you managed to find him and your kid. I don't know if you knew about the child before or if you just realised when you found him again. I just want to tell you, take your chance. Try not to ruin what you've got."

Leon blinked. He was so surprised he couldn't do anything else. The chief waved him out. "You can have any weekend off you like, tell Jill that. Not forever, but for the next two months or so. You've worked enough Sundays, it's time to relax sometimes. That's it."

The blonde left the bureau again, still blinking in surprise. What the hell was the matter with everyone lately? Just because he now had a child with D…

* * *

"Okay, till Sunday then."

"Yes, until Sunday. Take good care, Detective, please!"

"Bye Bàbà!" Dana called and waved at the kami disappearing in the rear mirror. Leon smiled at her enthusiasm. It made him feel all warm and good. That she wasn't sad to leave D, but happy to come with him to his apartment for the weekend.

D was waving back. His form grew smaller and smaller. Then it suddenly was gone. D had stepped back onto the stairs to the shop's entrance. The warmth was gone. But Leon ignored that. Dana was the important person here, not D. He was grown and fully able to busy himself alone one weekend. It was not as if Leon was taking the child away for forever, like his aunt had done with Chris. He was just – taking care of her for some time. Like he wanted to. Because he was her father. Yes. That was it.

Dark thoughts didn't have much room around Dana. The child started squealing in excitement when they drove past a store Leon had taken her to the other weekend, and by the time they arrived at his apartment, the blonde had forgotten about strange feelings and fatherly duties. Instead he scooped his kid up, carried her up the stairs while she squeaked and laughed and continued to tussle with her in the flat.

Finally, they were both breathless with laughter, the girl having succeeded in tickling her father and now sitting on his chest. "Dana Victoria!" she crowed and Leon again exploded with laughter.

"Oh honey, where in all heavens did you learn that?" he snorted. She looked confused. "Never mind. I bet anything it was Kanan who taught you that. Kanan or Jill, one of them."

Something growled. Dana looked down onto her belly and turned blue eyes again at her father. "Daddy, Dana hungry," she told him earnestly. Leon laughed and carried his daughter to the kitchen.

"Well then we've gotta make some food, sweetie," he said and placed her on the table. "What do you want to eat?"

She said something he didn't understand. "Uh, honey, that's difficult since I don't even know what you just said. Whaddya say about rice pudding? D's probably gonna kill me for that since it's with a lot of sugar, but he's not here…"

"Rice pudding?" Dana echoed and Leon sighed.

"Yeah, I know. Now you didn't understand what I said. Let's just start cooking and then you'll see what it is, okay? At first we need milk…"

He turned to the fridge to take out the bottle of milk he'd bought, but the girl complained. "Dana too!" she cried. So he placed her on his hip and then opened the fridge.

"This here is milk, Dana," he explained. "And now we need the rice… let's see, I put it in the cupboard…"

He went over and opened the cupboard where he kept all his food supply. Dana inspected the contents curiously and he let her be. At last she pointed to the beer cans at the bottom.

"Toys," she said and Leon chuckled. "No, sweetie, sorry, that's nothing to play with, even though it looks pretty. That's beer. You drink it."

"Dana want."

Tetsu would've doubled over at the look of baffled surprise on Leon's face. He'd never expected that reply. Hastily he tried to explain to his daughter that she couldn't have beer. "Dana, it's only for grown-ups, not for children. Your father would be very mad if I let you have beer."

"Bàbà drink beer?" Dana inquired and tilted her head to the side. Leon nearly snorted with laughter.

"No, honey, he never drinks beer. I drink beer." Then suddenly his face got pensive as he looked at her. "Though perhaps he was right when he told me beer would one day get me into trouble…"

"Daddy?" The girl looked at him and he could discern worry in her eyes. Sighing, the blonde shook his head.

"Nothing, sweetie. It's nothing. Let's make rice pudding now, okay? See, you put the milk in a pot and heat up the milk. Don't touch the hotplate, you'll burn your fingers and that hurts very much. Yeah, you're doing great," Leon praised his child and steadied the bottle of milk while her small face was bright with concentration.

"Now we've gotta wait and watch the milk. When it starts to expand, it's cooking," Leon explained and let the girl sit down besides the hotplates, carefully keeping her out of reach of the heat. She watched the milk with intense concentration, never taking her eyes off.

"Dana wait," she said. Leon smiled, but it was not completely happy.

"Yeah, now we wait," he said silently.

Dana's eyes snapped up to him. She sensed something amiss. "Daddy?"

The blonde sighed and threaded a hand through his hair. "When I was your age, my mom had me sitting besides the hearth, too," he told the girl.

"Mom?" she asked.

He smiled again. "Yeah, she's your grandmother. My mother."

The blue eyes were questioning. "Mother?"

Softly Leon petted the dark hair. "Yeah, mom or mother. I'm your father. D's your mother. Well… mostly. Don't tell him I said he's your mom. But he still is, because he gave birth to you. Mommies give birth to the babies." He looked at the child silently for a moment. "Jill's wrong, you know. And D's wrong, too. You don't have my eyes. I inherited my mom's eyes just like Chris. She was the first one with those blue eyes. And now you're here… Dana…"

"Daddy milk!" the girl cried out and pointed to the pot. Quickly her father took the rice.

"Here, quick, sweetie, put that into the milk. And now we've gotta stir the milk. Yeah, like that. Very good. One day, you're gonna be a great chef just like my mom. Keep on stirring and I'll tell you a story meanwhile."

They ate on the sofa, snuggled into the pillows while Leon tried not to think about what D would say to that. Dana was obviously happy about the food and Leon in turn was glad that she was happy. Finally she fell asleep in his arms. Leon stared out of the window into the slightly clouded sky, feeling the weight of his child and loosing himself in memories and thoughts.

* * *

He carried Dana back to the shop on Sunday evening since it was a nice day and Leon didn't see any point in using the car. The things stored in his apartment were to remain there. Just Dana, Kitty and Lucky were going back to the pet shop.

However, he instantly rued this decision when three familiar figures came towards him in Chinatown, burrowing through the Sunday crowd. "Leon!" Jessica called.

The blonde grimaced. "Oh no," he murmured. "We're not lucky today, Dana."

"Lucky here," the girl replied and held up her plush penguin for inspection.

Leon laughed out loud. "Yes, sweetie, you're right. Lucky's here."

"So that is the infamous Orcot kid!" Eliza said and let go of Alex' arm to step up closer.

Leon, aware that they were right in front of the Chang's shop, tried to steer them away. "Guys, I'm happy to meet you, but I've got to get Dana back to the shop before I can go have a drink with you," he said.

"Oooh no, you're not bringing her out of our reach!" Jessica crowed and stopped his attempts at getting away. "You can have a drink with us and the kid!"

Dana hid her head in Leon's shoulder, frightened by the sudden amount of attention. He sighed. "I'm not taking her to a pub. D's gonna kill me if I do that," he enlightened them.

Alex shrugged and grinned. "Fine, then, let's go to some café. Or is your longing for the Count already so strong you can't bear to spend some more time away from him?"

Leon blushed and growled. "Stop that, Alex! I'm still angry you gave her to Barf, don't forget that!"

The younger detective snickered. "You're _angry_?! Wow. That Count brain-washed you real good. I'd never have thought you'd say angry instead of pi-"

"I think it's great that Leon's taking responsibility for his child!" Eliza cut in and smiled at him. He tried not to roll his eyes.

"Thanks, Liza. Still, I've gotta go back to the shop. So would you now please let me through?" Reassuringly he patted Dana's back. The girl was shrinking into him more every minute.

"Well, but how did you two even get a kid?" Jessica ignored his question. "Everybody thought you hated him! And he you, of course."

"Apparently, he was hot enough for Leon to forget about hating him for one wild night," Alex teased.

Leon's brow wrinkled. "None. Of. Your. Business," he gritted through his teeth. "Now bye."

"Hey, wait! I still wanna know how he looks underneath all that silk! C'mon, share, be a good buddy!" Alex called after him and yelped when both women simultaneously hit him. "You can tell me during night-shift! Ouch, Liza!"

"Like hell I'm going to tell you anything!" the elder detective muttered and Dana perked up.

"Hell!" she echoed obediently and Leon groaned.

"Dana, bad word. Don't say that to Bàbà."

"What shall she not say to me?"

Leon jumped, much to the girl's joy, and turned around breathing fast. D blinked at him in obvious surprise. "Detective, surely you noticed that I was coming out of that bakery over there, didn't you?" he asked, a smirk playing around his dark lips. The blonde glared and tried not to look at them.

"No, I didn't, I was busy watching out for pets coming out wanting to bite me," he snapped.

D's smirk deepened. "Why, Detective, my dear T-chan has not bitten you in a while," he chirped happily. Leon simply growled and followed downstairs where Pon-chan greeted the girl enthusiastically. He sat her down and watched her take off to her corner and Lego.

Tetsu, who'd been peacefully asleep in her cradle, was woken by her tugging at his tail. "Oh not again!" he groaned. "Leave me alone, Dana, I'm sleeping."

The girl protested violently in Chinese while D chuckled. "Lemme guess, the translation is along the lines of "My cradle, you getta hell outta there!"?" Leon asked and seated himself on the sofa, grinning broadly. The kami laughed softly, looking incredibly young and pretty. Again the blonde stared.

"Pretty literally, though she's of course not using such crude language like you, Detective," he answered and produced a bakery box. "Some éclairs?"

The weak glance Leon shot him didn't darken his mood in the least. "Now I know how you manage to smile all the time. No wonder you're always happy with so much sugar in your bloodstream. You're probably high all the time due to it," he announced.

"Then you should eat more of it," D gave back at once with sparkling eyes.

_Don't stare, Leon. _

"In that case, hand over one of those," Leon replied with dry lips. The sparkle became triumphant. "And no sugar in my tea! I'm going to be hyperactive with just eating that thing."

"Since that wouldn't be something new either, you can as well have sugar in your tea. Where's the point in drinking it _without_?"

"Where's the point in drinking it _with_?"

If Leon wasn't too wrong, he was grinning so broadly the corners of his mouth were touching his earlobes. But since D was apparently enjoying himself thoroughly, too, no point in stopping this discussion.

"The flavour is enhanced by the sugar, Detective. The bitterness of some leaves is mended," the kami suggested and he argued at once.

"Yeah, perhaps when you put one spoon in or so. But from the amount _you_ take, only your teeth are eaten up by it, and every flavour the tea might have is drowned in sweetness…"

"You are unbearable, Detective!" D cried, half in joy, half in exasperated laughter. "Your taste is as bad as it ever gets!"

"And yours as sweet as it ever gets. Which isn't that much better, since my bad taste at least keeps me out of the hands of weird dentists." Satisfied, Leon watched the kami trying to control his laughter and decided now was the right time. So he fumbled something from his pocket and laid it on the table. D stopped laughing and stared at the shining key.

"Thought you should have one as well, now that Dana's spending such a lot of time at my apartment," the blonde said casually, trying to act as if this wasn't a big deal at all.

Only that it was. It was a very big deal. D had had the key to Leon's apartment before, when Chris had been in his charge. But having the key because of Chris and having it because of Dana was a different kettle of fish. Chris was Leon's brother. Dana was their child.

Did separated couples have the key to the respective apartments when they shared children?

D wondered about that for a second while his hand automatically reached and deposited the key in his sleeve. It felt heavy in there, and cold at first before it warmed up through the contact with D's skin. "That is reasonable," he heard himself say.

Leon smiled and pushed himself up from the sofa. "Well, gonna bring her to bed now. It's about time," he said and left D to himself.

He listened to him and Dana having a discussion over the girl's nightshirt and the story Leon was to tell her, wondering the whole time. Somehow he'd forgotten that this was all new still. It already seemed so familiar, the detective being here in the evening, bringing Dana to bed. But it was not, and the kami wondered how he could have forgotten that. It had only been a few weeks, and yet, they were both acting as if this was commonplace…

A fierce searing pain shot through his chest all of a sudden. He wanted it to be commonplace. He wanted Leon to be common at the shop, day and night alike.

Of course he didn't tell the blonde that when he returned to the front after Dana had fallen asleep and said goodbye. He just stood, hidden by the door and watched him go back to his apartment quietly. He didn't tell Leon when the blonde stopped by for breakfast the next morning, and he didn't even allow himself to think too much about it, grateful for the customers who took his thoughts off the detective.

* * *

D bowed politely and led the man to the door. "I wish you much joy with her," he said softly and watched the guy mount the stairs,an enrapt smile on his face . The kami raised a brow and wondered what would come out of this association.

Then he felt small arms wrap around his leg and looked down to see his daughter standing there and gazing outside. "Daddy?" she asked.

"No, Dana, Leon will come back later. It is not yet time for his visit. What is the matter?"

"Dana want to read," she said and tugged at his cheongsam. The customer was gone. There was yet no need to prepare food. So D settled down with his daughter on his lap and rummaged through the pile of children's books on the table, musing distantly about the changes the pet shop had gone through since Dana's arrival. Children's books. Not even when Chris had been in the shop had there been children's books lying around.

"Which one, Dana?" he asked while she crawled around on his legs, trying to find a comfortable position. Her little hands and feet kneaded his thighs, causing a warm feeling in D's chest. It was almost as if one of his pets, Pon-chan or T-chan, were snuggling into him, and yet, completely different. Dana was his. She would grow out of sitting on anyone's lap soon enough. He enjoyed it while he could.

"Little bear and his friends!" she claimed, unaware of her father's thoughts.

D looked at the books again and wrinkled his brow. "It is not here, Dana. You took it to Leon last weekend, do you remember? It is still in his apartment. I could tell you a story, if you like."

She pouted. "Not story, little bear and his friends!"

Small, yes, but as stubborn as Leon, without doubt.

"Dana, it is not here. We have to read something else or I tell you a story," D said firmly. Dana, who had just settled down comfortably, started wriggling in his arms.

"Nooooo!" she complained. "Little bear!"

"I told you, it is not here. I cannot read something to you that isn't here." D's patience was growing thin. He wished that Dana would take an interest in his stories, or at least choose another book as her favourite. He was fed up with the little bear, having had to read it to her about four thousand times by now. "Stop wriggling, you'll fall down!"

"Little bear and his friends!" Dana yelled and struggled on. D tried to hold on to her, but she was very evasive and almost fell. The kami gave up.

"Stop complaining, Dana!" he ordered curtly. "We will fetch it from Leon's apartment if you insist on it, but we have to walk there. Do you want that?"

She stopped wriggling and glanced at him with great blue eyes. "Fetch little bear from Daddy's apartment!" she called and clapped her hands. D sighed, and sent Tetsu to get the key to Leon's apartment while he dressed Dana for the walk. Now that he had bowed to her will, she was happy again. D was starting to doubt his ability to raise the child properly.

They left the shop, D carrying the girl, because the streets of Chinatown were quite crowded at this time. Tourists were everywhere, and the shops were selling their fake Chinese souvenirs. On the way to Leon's apartment they met various neighbours. Mrs Chang gave Dana a little paper lantern which she gleefully waved around when they continued their way.

D was well aware of the gazes that followed him. He was also well aware that not only the tourists gaped at him, but also citizens of Chinatown. News had spread. Everybody knew by now that the Count had returned with a child, and that he and the detective didn't quarrel anymore, and that Leon spent even more time at the pet shop than he had three years ago.

While he politely greeted people, he wondered how many of them believed in Dana being Leon's daughter and how many wouldn't believe in it. Not that they would dare to ask. But even humans sometimes reached right conclusions, especially in social matters, that he had learned during his life. They might be oblivious to other things, but in these matters they were surprisingly far-sighted.

He breathed a silent sigh of relief when they left Chinatown at last and headed to the block where Leon was living. Once he had thought of the apartment as the example of human filth. But now he had to admit he even kind of liked it. The flat had changed, with Dana's toys and without the posters, and the little signs everywhere that Leon was taking responsibility now. Perhaps it was true that having a child of their own changed people. Chris, for all Leon loved his little brother, had been exactly that: a brother. But Dana was his child. It was different.

The girl wriggled on his arms and he set her to the ground, taking her little hand in his. She walked besides him quite happily, taking in the sights around her and D smiled. His daughter was getting used to the human world. He only had to watch out that no one would notice her strangeness.

He opened the door to Leon's house with his key, feeling a thrill at being able to walk inside without Leon being present. Dana hopped ahead of the kami, but at the bottom of the stairs she had to wait for him. "Do you want to be carried or would you rather walk yourself?" he inquired and the girl thought.

"Dana want to walk," she said at last and reached for D with her little hand. The kami gripped it and slowly ascended the stairs, giving Dana enough time to climb the steps herself. For all her unnatural strength, she still was a small kid, and the stairs were like a mountain for her. When they finally reached the top, she was panting and her cheeks were flushed, but she smiled proudly.

"Well done, Dana," D praised her and opened Leon's door with his key. Stepping inside, he looked around, searching for Dana's book. A sound from the kitchen made him freeze. Leon was not here, he was working, he was sure of that. Who was here….?

While he still tried to decide whether to hide Dana or not, a young blonde woman came from the kitchen and stopped dead at their sight. "Who are you?" she demanded firmly. The kami noticed that she had a packed bag in her hands. Involuntarily he stiffened. What was she doing in Leon's apartment?

The woman's gaze wandered to Dana, holding on to D's skirt and a smile appeared on her face. "Oh, I'm sorry. Should've known at once. You're Count D, aren't you? And you, little missy, you are Leon's daughter Dana. Hello, honey!"

She knelt down and smiled invitingly at the girl. Dana put a thumb in her mouth and remained where she was, unsure. Luckily D found his speech again. "Yes, I am indeed Count D, and this is Dana. May I ask who you are?"

"Oh, I'm Sandra," she said carelessly, attention fixed on the girl. D wrinkled his brow. Leon had never talked about someone named Sandra, and he'd certainly never mentioned she had a key to his apartment.

Sandra tore her gaze away from the child and noticed D's uncomprehending look. "I'm kind of Leon's girlfriend," she explained.

Suddenly the Chinese in front of her turned into what could only be called a beautiful ice statue. "I see," he said calmly. "I am sorry to interrupt you, Miss Sandra. I was not aware you would be here. Dana, come here, we will return later."

She nearly broke down laughing at seeing his behaviour change in a matter of seconds. "No, no, please stay. I was leaving anyway," she quickly said and stood up again. D wavered for a second. He didn't really want to come back later, it would mean having to walk here twice because of Dana's stupid book. Sandra made an inviting gesture. "Help yourself. I only wanted to pick up some things in my lunch break."

Dana made the decision for her father. Feeling secure enough to leave his protecting shadow, she ran to the corner with her toys and squealed when she found her book. "Oh, you wanted to pick up something, too," Sandra said and smiled at the kami disarmingly. She got a polite smile in return, but the look that accompanied it could've frozen the desert. Twice over.

Her eyes blazed with amusement as she pointed to the kitchen. "I made myself a cup of tea. There's something left, if you want. Leon told me you like tea very much."

D's nose wrinkled just enough to be noticed as dismay. "I do. Thank you, Miss Sandra," he said coldly and glided into the kitchen after making sure Dana was busy with her toys. Sandy followed close and sat down at the table once more.

"So, you're the miracle that made Leon get himself a kid," she said casually. D delicately poured the tea.

"It would seem I am. He has never mentioned you. You are his girlfriend, you say?"

Now she really nearly chuckled. God, if that guy wasn't jealous, she didn't know shit about jealousy. Playing with her cup, she continued to tease him. "Nah, not really. We've got – I guess you could call it an agreement. Whenever we're both single and feel like having sex without strings, we give each other a call, and that's it. Actually, we've had that agreement for quite some time. Reaches back into College times."

"I see." The iceberg sipped his tea, managing to look more disapproving than Sandra's mother without even rippling his mask of politeness. Wow. Leon had really gotten himself some piece of work with that guy. "And you are here because you wanted to refresh yourself?"

Sandra decided that teasing him might be dangerous. She'd heard the stories from Leon about what his so-called 'pets' could do. "No, actually I wanted to pick up my things and return them to my flat," she answered. A thought crossed her mind and she quickly fished out the key from her pocket. "If you're here, could you please give Leon the key? Then I don't have to put it in the mailbox. I don't like that anyway. People nowadays are so scrupulous. They even break up mailboxes to get the mail inside, and if they find the key, they could break in, too."

D looked at the offered key with a little frown and didn't take it. "Why would you wish to return the key? Won't you need it again?" he asked.

Sandra shrugged. "Nope, I won't. I was in Europe when Leon returned, and he called me and told me about you and the kid. So we both said that we'd cancel it for the time being. I won't need it anytime in the near future, just needed it today to get my things back."

"I see." Now that sounded a lot softer. The kami took the key from her and stowed it in one of his sleeves. Sandra emptied her cup and stood, smiling.

"Well then, have a nice day and say hello to Leon for me, please. I'll be off to Spain two days from now on and stay there for three months, but if he wants a postcard, he'll have to say so."

The smile was still polite, but a lot warmer. "I will, Miss Sandra. Have a good journey."

"Thanks. Good luck to you and the little missy!" She slung her bag over her shoulder and waved at the girl playing in the corner. "Bye, Dana!"

The girl waved back shyly. Sandra stared, enamoured. "You know, I don't really like kids, but she's a real cutie," she told D and opened the door. "God, I can so understand why Leon's completely crazy about her. And you. Bye!"

Grinning to herself contentedly, she scrambled down the stairs. That for sure had rendered him speechless. Though she wasn't mean, and she didn't begrudge Leon his luck. Had been time that someone pinned the guy down anyway, and she'd always known she wasn't the right one for that.

God, she would have to call him from Spain, just to see if those two would manage to pull themselves together and get it on again. And shame on them if they didn't.

* * *

"D, Dana, I'm here!"

A squealing whirlwind fastened itself on Leon's leg. The blonde laughed and transferred Dana from his leg to his shoulders, then proceeded further into the shop while she gleefully tousled his hair. "Dana, careful, don't pull too hard!"

D swept from the kitchen and smiled once he saw Leon, but it seemed a little bit strained. "Did you have a nice day, Detective?"

"You kidding? Nice day, f-" He stopped before D had reasons to scold him. "Anyway, I'm glad I'm done for today," he added and sat down on the sofa, peeling Dana loose off his hair. "What did you do all day long, honey? Did you have a nice day?"

"Dana and Bàbà go to Leon's flat," the girl told gleefully. "Little bear and his friends at Leon's flat."

"Oh, yeah, we forgot it there last weekend, didn't we? So you walked there? That's a long way. Weren't you tired?"

Dana nodded earnestly. "Dana very tired. Dana climb stairs herself, all!"

D watched them talking and smiled to himself. Leon actually listened to what Dana said. D didn't know why that surprised him, but he knew his heart felt like bursting with all the feelings in it whenever he saw them together. It was just like he had imagined – and yet, something very essential was still missing…

Which reminded him of something. He fetched the key to Leon's door from his sleeve and laid it down beside the blonde's cup. "I was asked to return this key to you," he said as casually as possible though he shivered inside.

Leon stopped telling Dana some tale from work and looked down on the key, expression going from confused to careful. "Oh. Thanks. You met Sandy?"

D smiled, knowing it wouldn't reach his eyes. "She is a very impressive young woman. She bade me say hello to you and tell you that if you want her to write you a postcard from Spain, where she'll be staying the next three months, you will have to call her."

"Yeah, that sounds like Sandy," Leon murmured. Dana tugged at his hair, annoyed that her father paid more attention to D than to her. He smiled down at her and resumed telling her his tale. D swept away to prepare dinner, glad he had something to distract him with.

Dana kept them busy until after dinner, when the exhaustion from the walk showed and she became crotchety. It took Leon some time and more effort than usual, but finally she slept and he returned to the front room, slumping down on the sofa with a deep sigh. D sipped his tea and pretended not to watch him from behind the curtain of his hair.

A few moments passed, then Leon sat up again and intertwined his fingers. "Listen, D, about Sandy…" he started, but the kami cut him off.

"Detective, there is no need to explain anything to me. You are entitled to your own life. I would never expect you to forswear any of your pleasures as long as you don't neglect Dana."

Leon eyed him suspiciously. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever, what I wanted to say is, Sandy and I've been friends for a long time. If you like, call it friends with certain advantages. But I'm not and was never in love with her, nor has she been my 'girlfriend' in that sense. We just had some fun and that's it."

D's voice was chilly. "It is nothing of my concern whether or not Miss Sandra was or is your girlfriend, Detective. I would only ask you not to set a bad example for Dana. She is far too young to understand it right."

The blonde searched for words. T-chan, growing tired with his master's attitude, appeared behind him and rolled his eyes. Then he tipped his paw to his head a few times. Leon's face split into a wide grin. "Yeah, course, D. And next you're going to tell me you're not jealous of Sandy?"

The kami's head flew up and Leon was pierced by a glare. "Why should I be, Detective?" D inquired icily.

The blonde shrugged and got up. "Dunno, you tell me. All I know is that you're acting exactly like any of my girlfriends did when she was fucking jealous."

"Language, Detective!" D snapped, but he just grinned and took his jacket.

"I'm off. Gimme a call if Dana's got another nightmare. Night, D."

"Really, Detective, your behaviour is most rude!" D fumed and followed the blonde to the door as if drawn by some invisible power. The grin on his face made him even angrier, and he was searching for some really mean comment when Leon suddenly turned in the doorframe and looked him straight in the eye.

"Oh, forgot something. Sleep well, honey."

And with that, he pressed a kiss on D's mouth, turned and vanished into the night, whistling softly. The kami stood in the door, thunder-struck, hand flown up to touch his lips.

"Now that was a nice repay, wasn't it?" T-chan remarked from behind and went to keep watch beside Dana's bed, grinning as broadly as Leon.

D had no answer to that.

* * *

A/N: Snjókorn falla á allt og alla, börnin leika og skemmta sér... ^^ *sings*

So, I hope that answered all questions concerning Sandy ^^ I am so sorry I didn't answer to your questions, Elvina, but I didn't want to spoil this chapter for you. Please forgive me!

And yeah, I'm better now, thanks, BC :-) Still feel like shit, but definitely better than last update.

Oh, and by the way: Happy Christmas to you all, if you happen to celebrate Christmas! And if not, well, have a nice day all the same ;-)


	11. More problems arising

**More problems arising**

"You won't believe what I'm going to tell you now."

Jill slumped down into her chair and swivelled to Leon, grinning contentedly. The blonde looked up and scrutinized her. "You hooked up with the chief?" he asked and avoided the Rubik's cube she threw at him, placing it again on his desk, grinning broadly.

"Of course not, you idiot! Just because you finally managed to hook up with the Count doesn't mean everyone else suddenly finds someone, too. No, I just got the results from the lab. The gun Gavin was shot with – it was the same gun that killed Laura Miller."

Leon sat up. "Are you serious?" he asked.

"Yep, I am."

She handed the report over and he scanned it. The probability that the gun was the same was about 80%, which meant, a sure call. Leon grinned. "That's great. Finally something's moving here. Now I only have to find out who shot Gavin and why."

Jill snorted. "Yeah, course, easy job there, since he claims he didn't see anything," she said sarcastically and Leon groaned.

"Just shut up, okay? I'll bet it was his real boyfriend who was sick of being hidden."

His superior sighed deeply. "Leon, I really don't know if you're not becoming obsessed with this theory here. Why are you so sure Gavin _is_ homosexual? I mean, so far we haven't been able to find anyone who could tell us for sure."

The blonde shrugged. "Gut feeling, Jill. Besides, D thinks he's gay, too."

He flinched under the strange glance she gave him, but before she could say anything, the alarm started ringing. Both jumped up and rushed out, grabbing their safety vests and guns.

"What's the matter?" Jill asked hurriedly while they went down the stairs. Christian informed them.

"Robbery in a supermarket in downtown. Four masked guys, all armed, fled in the direction of Chinatown. Safety vests for everyone. I'm leader."

They hurried to the scene of crime as fast as they could and swarmed out in pairs. Leon and Jill took the buildings to the north and carefully worked their way through the labyrinth of narrow streets and little courtyards. The blonde felt his heart tighten. This here was Chinatown, where the pet shop was, and Dana and D. He fiercely hoped D wasn't on the streets with Dana now.

"So you're convinced that he's gay because D said so?" Jill whispered while carefully scooting forward. Leon glared at her.

"Hey, it's not only him who's saying that!" he gave back just as silently, keeping his gun ready.

"How does he know, anyway?" she inquired further. "I mean, did those two have something?"

"Jill!"

She chuckled at Leon's reaction. "Hey, just asking, kay? I mean, he's gotta know somehow."

"He met Gavin while his mother was buying a pet in D's shop," the younger detective informed her stiffly.

The woman's face got pensive. "Oh, right. Gavin's mother, the one who went away without leaving a trace."

"She went and joined that sect, Jill," Leon reminded his colleague. Jill didn't reply, but waved him forward. Leon went into the next courtyard, securing the terrain and signalled her to come too.

"Yeah, with the pet Count D sold her. I can still remember times when you'd be all in fits 'bout someone disappearing with one of his pets." There was something in her voice that told Leon this was not the usual why-do-you-always-suspect-the-Count-talk.

"I can learn too, okay?" he muttered, not daring to go further into the matter. Jill knew more about the night D had gone away than anyone else. And probably she hadn't fallen for Barf's explanation that D was a gynandry woman. She knew what he had explained to her when he got to know about Dana.

Jill perked around the corner into the courtyard while Leon shifted uncomfortably. D was afraid of anyone knowing. But this was Jill. She was more family than his blood relatives, save Chris of course. He hated lying to her.

"Listen, Jill, about D…" he began. The woman looked back at him and put a finger to her lips.

"D's someone special, not only where his gender is concerned, but also his family and life. Let's just leave it at that, okay?"

The blonde was stunned for a moment. "How long?" he asked then. Jill proceeded into the yard, Leon following close.

"Dunno. Figured it out sometime between the affair with his father and you telling me you two've got a kid, I guess." She halted and fixed grey eyes on Leon. "Listen, Leon, I'm doing this because I'm your friend and I really like D. And I adore Dana. I'm not interested in what he really is. I just want you to make sure he's no danger to the people I have to protect."

Leon gulped and thought about the woman some days ago, leaving the shop with god-knows-what. "I'll try, Jill," he said weakly. "I'll try."

Trying meant that he would actually have to talk to D about his actions. And this time not as a detective investigating a murder, but as the father of D's child.

He'd rather have his teeth pulled out than doing that. He'd rather do anything than ask D why he killed humans.

* * *

And yet, he still did it, that evening, sitting in the pet shop on the sofa, watching D and Dana play, at the same time relieved that nothing had happened to them and depressed because of what he'd tried to ignore for so long. That D wasn't human, not like Leon, didn't feel like Leon did, wasn't convinced of the same things Leon was, was just different…

"Why do you do it?"

The question popped out before he could stop it. For a moment Leon wanted to rue that, but done was done, and better to go straight ahead than cower and hide…

D's head snapped up and he stared at the detective in confusion. Leon was watching him from his place on the sofa, Pon-chan on his lap while D was building a tower for Dana with the girl's Lego bricks. Today she'd been more interested in him than in her human father, and D had silently rejoiced at that. He wasn't jealous of Leon. He was not. But it was nice to know his child still loved him, too.

"Why do I do what?" he asked. Leon gazed at him, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Kill us," he said calmly.

The young kami looked down at his daughter, returning the look with wide blue-golden eyes, and stood. "We are not going to talk about that with Dana being present," he said decidedly.

"Okay. Then let's go to your bedroom and talk," Leon gave in easily and D glared. Tetsu stretched his head out from under the sofa.

"Talk?" he echoed, grinning wickedly, and D's glare got even more murderous while Leon chuckled.

"Not this time, Tetsu," he whispered. "This time I mean real talk. Not the other "talk"."

D's heart started fluttering. "You have a bad influence over my children," he chided icily to mask his sudden yearning.

Leon glanced back at him. "Do I? Are you coming now or what? 'Cause I'm going to discuss this with Dana being present, too," he stated.

Being blackmailed into discussing, D preferred to stay out of hearing range of anyone. "Dana, your father and I are going to have a little talk. Stay here and play, please," he told his child in Chinese and then glared at Leon a last time before walking to the kitchen. "We can talk in here, Detective, if we have to talk at all."

Tetsu and Pon-chan both followed them with their eyes wide as saucers. But their master effectively shut them out by closing the door to the kitchen. Leon eyed it suspiciously. "What would you say if I said this kitchen's never had a door?" he asked, and D could tell it was simply rhetorical.

"I would reply that you just never noticed the door," he gave back and resisted the urge to clamp his hands together. "Detective, is this really necessary? We should not leave Dana alone for too long…"

Leon seemed to waver, but then he shook his head decidedly. "Gotta talk about it. The sooner the better. And I don't like it anymore than you do, just so you know," he added, seeing D's face. "C'mon, don't tell me you didn't expect me to say something about this whole kill-all-humans deal."

The young kami sighed softly. "No, indeed. I did not expect to be spared being questioned about my personal matters," he replied stiffly and sat down.

"This is not your personal matter, D. This is my business also, since I am a friggin' detective whose job it is to protect other humans. You think I can just stand by and watch you selling people pets that are going to kill them first chance they get?"

"They only turn against their masters if they are betrayed by them," D argued. "And I _know_ you're a detective. If I may remind you, that was why we met in the first place."

"Yeah." Leon regarded him with a long, pensive glance. "And now you've at least got to admit that I've been right all along."

"I'm not to be held responsible for human stupidity," the kami snapped. "One should think it's not too hard for the most intelligent species on earth to adhere three simple rules."

"That still doesn't give you the right to kill them. Hell, if we'd go and kill everyone who's parking on the wrong side of the road, America would soon be a dead continent!"

For a long moment they stared at each other, both not willing to give in. At last D spoke up again.

"You kill. You have killed, too, several times."

Leon's face flushed, but at least he didn't use the old argument of his job "being different". Instead he tried a new tactic, stunning D into silence.

"Don't you ever question what you do?"

The kami blinked. "Question what I do? Why should I, Detective? I know why I am doing this. If you kindly would remember, my species nearly got extinct by humans. My father was killed by one. How can you ask then why I am doing this?"

Satisfied he caught the slight shadow crossing Leon's face and admitted to himself that this one had been quite mean. Leon was not likely to forget that he'd been forced to shoot his father. But D couldn't possibly admit that his heart was beating hard again, this time in fearful foreboding. To come out of this unscathed, he would have to play Leon like he'd done so many times before.

Only that Leon now actually knew he was being played, and also knew the truth about D.

* * *

It ended as had so many of their fights, Leon stomping off cursing D to hell and the kami just barely keeping from throwing things at his head. They ignored both the pets rushing to them anxiously and Dana whining shrilly in her corner while Honlon tried to soothe her little sister and glared daggers at their fathers. The blonde didn't stay to bring Dana to bed, and he didn't turn up the next morning either, angering D even more who'd spent the whole night trying to get the girl to sleep.

When he did show up in the evening, they had another fight about fatherly duties, even worse than that the day before and ended up nearly killing each other. The only thing that stopped them from doing exactly that was Dana getting in between them, turning a tear-streaked face and pleading blue eyes up at her fathers. So Leon took her, brought her to bed and left the shop. D stayed back and continued to diminish his collection of valuable teacups by throwing them at the wall, pretending it was Leon instead.

Neither of them had considered that now there was a third person involved in their fights, and that this person was not likely to let them continue like this.

* * *

The phone rang, loud in the quiet flat. Leon jerked up in his bed, entangled in his sheets and swore when he couldn't get them off quickly enough. But whoever was calling was either very persistent or he really needed to talk to him.

At last the blonde managed to get to the phone, eyes still half-closed. "Yeah?" he grunted into the receiver.

"Detective, I am sorry to wake you up," D's sweet voice floated into his ear, instantly waking Leon up completely.

"What's the matter?!" he sputtered. "Is Dana alright?"

D's voice seemed uncertain. "I think so. But she had another nightmare, and she won't stop crying. She's calling for you. Perhaps you could come here?"

In the background a child's sobs could be heard. Alarmed Leon snatched his jeans and trapped the receiver between shoulder and ear. "What was the dream about?"

A loud wail made Leon pull on his jeans even more quickly. He nearly stumbled, overstrained by the task of listening to D, dressing and holding the telephone at once and swore. "Listen, D, I'm coming over right now. Tell her I'll be there in a minute, kay?" he quickly said into the phone and hung up, eyes already searching the car keys. Within another minute he'd put on an old t-shirt and was running from his flat.

As soon as D heard the click, he dropped the receiver and hurried over to his daughter again, standing in her bed and cradling to her cat. "Dana, lovely, come here," he murmured, but she fought off his hands, cried even louder and clung to her pet. D's worry instantly increased trice. Whatever could be the matter with her? Leon might be her favourite parent at the moment, but she'd never fought D so far.

T-chan climbed into her bed and snuggled against her. The fact that she didn't fight at least him calmed D a bit again, but his head was still spinning. What in the world could have caused the girl to have such a bad nightmare?

He wavered between going to the kitchen to prepare tea, for there was nothing he could do at the moment and staying. His worry for his child won and he sat down on his bed, watching the baby cry helplessly. Finally, he started to sing, hoping the known melodies would perhaps calm her. The effect was negligible.

So D was very relieved when he heard Leon clamber down the stairs. Quickly he shot up, but Pon-chan had already let the blonde in, and he came running into the bedroom. Dana reached for him. "Daddy not leave!" she sobbed desperately.

Leon scooped her up and stroked her back. "Ssh, sweetie. I won't leave you, ever," he murmured and started to walk through the room. D glided out.

Leon had not said hello.

* * *

It took nearly an hour until the girl was asleep again. D idled around in the front room, trying to take his mind off his child and Leon, but found he couldn't. At last he got himself some cake from the kitchen. The sugar calmed his nerves, but he still jumped when Leon silently entered.

"She's asleep again," he said calmly.

"Thank you for coming over, Detective," the kami whispered and looked at him from behind his black hair. The blonde seemed tired and nervous.

"Would you like to stay?" he offered, suddenly concerned something might happen to him on his way home. But Leon declined.

"No thanks, I'm going back to my apartment," he said stiffly. "Call me if she wakes again."

"Are you sure? You could sleep on the sofa," D desperately tried to convince him, but he knew it was futile. Leon had not yet forgiven him. As long as he was still angry with D, he would stay distant and cold, that much the kami had learned by now.

He saw Leon open his mouth to decline his offer again, but his mobile phone ringing cut him off. He cursed and fumbled it out of his jeans. "Yeah?"

Silence. D waited anxiously. The thought that Leon might be called to some crime scene now was even more despicable than him returning to his apartment. But his hopes that it was just something normal were shattered by the sudden pained look on Leon's face.

"Yeah, I'm on my way. See you there, Jill." He closed the cellphone and put it back into his pocket. "Seems as if I won't be able to come when she wakes again," he said curtly. "Bye."

"Leon…"

The cry was so soft the human could not have heard it. D drew back his hand which had reached for the blonde of its own accord and scolded himself. Why should he give in? Leon just had to accept what he was. He couldn't just become something else, and certainly not for a human, not even for the human he loved.

* * *

Dana did not wake again, but D didn't sleep either. The nocturnal animals were quite delighted that their master joined them for the first time since his child had started to sleep the nights through, but D's mind was not in tending to them, though he appreciated their efforts to make him laugh. His mind was with Leon and he desperately hoped whatever crime scene he'd been called to wouldn't be too cruel on his human.

So when the door opened around eight o'clock, the young kami startled in the kitchen, but hurried out to find his suspicion confirmed. Leon strode in, looking exhausted and pale. "Dana?" he asked with a rough voice.

"She's still asleep," D answered softly. "She did not wake again, but I think she's going to wake up soon. Do you want to stay for breakfast?"

The blonde hesitated, but then he slumped down onto the sofa, burying his head in his hands. "Yeah." Pon-chan climbed onto his lap and he cuddled her, a strange gesture for him. Usually he would pet her, play with her, but this time, he was seeking comfort in the pet. The raccoon, however, was glad to provide it. And D felt another painful pang.

"Do you want something special for breakfast?" he inquired and was glad his voice didn't betray his emotions. But Leon merely shook his head.

"No thanks. I don't think I'm going to eat at all," he murmured. "Just need some coffee."

He sighed deeply. Pon-chan snuggled even closer, and he leaned back onto the sofa, staring at the ceiling, eyes wide open. D busied himself with the tea cart, glancing at him every now and then and praying that the child would wake soon. Dana would be able to cheer her father up again, and the blonde really looked like he needed the child's innocent love now.

"What did you sell John William Carter?"

Leon's voice startled the young kami. He turned and found himself subjected to a tired, piercing blue gaze. He blinked in surprise. "A wolf," he answered. "But why are you asking? He didn't break his contract…"

D's voice trailed off as he realised what the detective was really asking him and he sat down the teapot with force. "I am not responsible for his death, Detective," he hissed. "I didn't even know he's dead before you just told me!"

"You're never responsible for anyone's death." Leon's laugh was dark and bitter. It cut right through D's heart.

"John William Carter bought a wolf in this pet shop more than six years ago," the kami stated, trembling with both fury and pain. "He conceded to the terms of the contract, and as far as I can tell, he's never broken any of them. In fact, he is one of the few humans whom I believed capable of adhering the rules. If he is dead now, you have to blame someone else, but not me. I would know if he'd have broken the contract."

Leon regarded him for a long while. "And then where is this wolf if you didn't take him back?"

"Her," D corrected without thinking, and then froze. "What do you mean? Was she not in his house?"

The corners of Leon's mouth twitched without amusement. "Else I wouldn't ask now, would I? He was dead in the living room, looking like some animal decided to munch on him. And the number of your pet shop was right beside the phone."

D allowed himself to wonder at the fact that Leon actually was able to identify the telephone number of the pet shop though he'd only called him two or three times. Then he pressed his lips together in dismay. "And so you concluded that I left my child alone while she was having a nightmare to kill another human and reclaim my pet, yes?" he inquired coolly.

For a moment Leon's blue eyes flickered. Then he sighed deeply. "No. No, of course I didn't."

"Then I would be very grateful if you'd think before speaking, Detective," D snapped.

He turned back to his tea cart. For some moments, the shop was silent behind him. Then the sofa creaked, Pon-chan protested silently and Leon's steps echoed through the parlour. He closed the door so quietly D might not even have heard it had he not been listening intently, hoping the blonde would stay against all odds.

* * *

A/N: Oh dear, oh dear... *sighs* We're in for another round of screaming and fighting...

Please do not kill me. I can get why you would want to, but - well, I already explained several times that their relationship is everything but simple. And thanks for the reviews, everybody :-) Yes, I'm much better now, bc, thanks for your concern. Hope you all had a nice Christmas and got many presents ^^ So long, Ena

6


	12. The right to claim

**The right to claim**

D's hand hesitated over the receiver of the ancient telephone. He sighed and dropped it again. But what choice did he have?

So he convinced himself to take the receiver and dial in the number of the precinct. He knew Leon would be there, and he also knew that his shift would be over soon.

"LAPD, Christian Black, what's the matter?"

D swallowed. "Good evening, Mr Black, this is Count D. Excuse me for calling, but does Detective Orcot happen to be around?"

There was surprised silence at the other end. Then the man took a deep breath and started to yell. "LEON! IT'S THE COUNT!"

The young kami flinched and brought some distance between his ear and the receiver, which was fortunate, because so he didn't hear the comments Leon's colleagues couldn't suppress when he hurried to the phone.

"Oh, shut up, you all!" he bellowed angrily. "What's the matter, D? Dana can't have had a nightmare, it's not even bedtime yet."

Again the kami swallowed. "No, she didn't, Detective. But I have to take care of something and must leave the shop. Could you come over, please? I do not know how long I'll be gone, and I do not want to leave her alone…"

The blonde was silent for a long moment. "Okay. I'm on my way," he said at last. Then he put the phone down. D listened to the free line signal and sighed deeply. Then he put down the receiver, too, and returned to his bedroom to dress for his task. Dana was there, playing with Pon-chan. A smile crept on D's lips as he watched his daughter chase her around the room clumsily. The raccoon was patient and let her come close, though she could've evaded the child easily. But she liked playing with Dana. Every pet liked playing with Dana. Sometimes D worried that they were spoiling the girl to no extend. But he quickly discarded the thoughts again. As long as he was here to raise her, she wouldn't get too spoiled.

That was, if her other father…

Right on cue, the door opened and Leon strode inside. D's heart skipped a beat and clenched painfully. His smile brightened and wavered at the same time. "Hello Detective. Thank you for coming over."

Dana stopped chasing Pon-chan and instead fastened herself on Leon's leg. "Daddy!" she squealed.

"Hey, hello, baby! How was your day?"

"Daddy come play!" the girl claimed and tugged at Leon's leg. He grinned, that familiar lopsided grin and D's heart nearly stopped beating.

"And what do you want to play, honey?" he asked and knelt down. Dana looked around and found her plush cat and Lego.

"Kitty needs house," she announced.

"Then we're going to build a house for Kitty. What about Lucky, huh? Doesn't he get a house, too?"

The girl tilted her head to the side and thought. "Lucky penguin. Lucky needs ice-cream," she decided and her father chuckled.

"I guess that means you want ice-cream. Sorry, Dana, but not today."

D turned back to his mirror and fastened the last closures on his black shirt. Then he slipped a small, sharp knife into one sleeve, making sure it would not hurt him.

Leon watched D. He felt his eyes on his back, blue gaze piercing through his body. Sighing deeply, he turned and faced the blonde. "What is it, Detective? I really must be off," he said and tried to stay calm.

The human took his time to answer. "Where are you going?" he asked at last and indicated the black clothes D was wearing. "You look like you're going to some break into some house."

Fortunately the kami managed to keep down his blush. "I am not going to break in anywhere. Do you really think I would do something that would draw attention to me?"

The blonde shrugged. "I'm just saying. You're up to something, don't deny it. What's it? Does it have something to do with the guy that died? Whom you sold the pet that got stolen?"

D turned back to the mirror and adjusted a small strap. "I have to retrieve the pet. She is not very likely to forgive her kidnapper," he said.

"You're gonna kill the guy that stole it?" Leon asked calmly, shaking the kami off-balance. He spun round and faced the blonde whose eyes were blank and showed no emotion. Still, D writhed under their gaze.

"I do not intend to kill anyone, Detective. I am simply going to punish the thief for his insolence," he stated as calmly as he could manage.

The blonde turned back to Dana. The kami idled around, checking if he had everything with him, even though it wasn't necessary and he knew it.

"You think it's good for Dana to have a dad who goes around and kills people for no real reason?"

Leon's eyes were still fixed on the child. D froze. He didn't dare look at the blonde. "You know who I am, Detective. I cannot change it," he said silently, feeling like his throat had just corded up.

"Must suck pretty much," the human commented matter-of-factly, still with that bland voice that told nothing about what he really felt. "I mean, being half-human when one of your parents is sworn to kill humans every given chance."

"It is what I am," D repeated, now with a shaking voice.

Leon didn't answer. He scooped Dana up, surprising the girl, and turned to go to the back. "We'll be with Honlon in the crystal palace. Have fun. Don't get yourself caught. Would be hard to keep that a secret."

"I will do my very best," the kami choked out. But Leon and Dana were already gone.

* * *

From the roof of the pet shop, finding the direction in which he had to go was easy. D narrowed his eyes and sat still for another moment, getting used to the break of night surrounding him. The air was cool and for a second he shuddered in his light silken clothes. But he knew that as soon as he moved, he would be warm again.

Finally, he stood and made his way through the city, careful not to draw any attention, hiding in shadows and dark alleys. It was good to concentrate on his task. As long as he was alert, he didn't have to think about Leon and Dana.

The farther he got away from the pet shop, the better D felt. This was the hunt, and the part of him that was still enrooted in his being rejoiced at the thrill it caused in his body, the adrenaline rushing through his veins, making his heart thump hard in his chest, not painful but excited.

The young kami was almost disappointed when he reached the apartment of the woman. _Not a thief, Leon,_ he told the human quietly, triumphantly. _A she. A female stole the wolf. You would have known if you had made inquiries instead of flat out accusing me again._

His mismatched eyes followed her moving through the room. He could feel the pet in one of the rooms, hungry and hurt, waiting for her chance to get her revenge at the one who'd taken her away from the one she loved so much, and his mind flowed into hers, drank in the hatred and rage.

Quietly D opened the roof window and slipped inside. She didn't notice him gliding through the sitting room to the door that kept the wolf prisoner. But somehow she felt that something was amiss, straightened from preparing food and glanced around in the semi-darkness of the apartment.

"Hello?" she called. "Is there anybody here?"

Her voice was unsure. D felt the beginnings of a smirk on his lips. Then, suddenly, they disappeared again. Instead he shuddered, feeling the wolf inside the door, only held back by the latch, waiting for her master to open up, set her free to avenge her beloved.

He could not falter here and now. He had to go through this, no matter what.

"Janet Williamson. Did I not tell you to keep out of the affairs of Mr Carter?"

His own voice floated through the darkness sweetly, deadly. Janet Williamson winced as if he'd hit her. "Count D?" she inquired, the quiver in her voice exciting the wolf to no end. The kami could almost see her behind the door, slobbering in expectation of finally getting to her prey. He stepped forward and showed himself to the human. She stumbled back, clutching the useless kitchen knife she had been using to cut carrots.

"What are you doing here?" she stammered.

D's eyes caught the light and threw it back, making them blaze dangerously. "I am, Miss Williamson, reclaiming the pet Mr Carter bought. I assume you remember that she was his property, not yours?"

"I – John didn't have a pet," Janet Williamson tried to defend herself, but her eyes were nervously resting on the door handle of the wolf's prison. D clicked his tongue displeased.

"Miss Williamson, let's not prolong this too much. I do not have much time." _Someone is waiting for me back at the shop. A small child and a human whom I both love._ "Why did you kill your lover? Surely he didn't do anything to upset you so much you had to basically rip him apart."

The woman hissed and gripped the knife so hard her knuckles went white. "John and I weren't lovers anymore. And all thanks to you and that _wolf_!" she spat out. "He left me for her. Can you believe that? He left me for a damn _pet_, because he said I was too jealous of her and he wouldn't tolerate that any longer. Can you imagine he'd rather have a damn wolf than _me_?!"

The young kami regarded her quietly. She shrank back against the counter. "She was between us!" she whimpered. "All that thing did was come between us, always, ever! I couldn't let her win that fight! John was mine, mine alone, not hers!"

"It is not your decision who someone else dedicates his life to. You have no right to claim someone else's love if he doesn't give it freely and because he wants to," D said hard, placing a hand on the handle. It rattled. The wolf behind was getting restless. She wanted to kill. She needed to kill.

Kill another human for what she'd done to another of her kin. Humans were a depraved, despicable species, not worth to share earth with her other creatures. Or so he'd always been taught.

Janet Williamson shrieked in fear as D slowly pressed the handle down. The magic of the pet shop worked even here, in this place where the pet had never been supposed to end up. Grass spread from the room, covering all signs of modern technology in the apartment, fern grew in a few seconds, closely followed by old trees, their bark battered and beaten by wind, rain and snow.

And from the midst of it all, the wolf rushed, a beautiful young woman with fierce, wild eyes, her fangs bared, a howl on her lips that spoke of the triumph of being free again, of being able to avenge the death of her pack mate.

D watched without emotion. Watched the woman try to run, to get away from the fierce predator, falling and stumbling on the uneven, foreign terrain. Watched the wolf reach her, burying her teeth in the soft, unprotected flesh while the victim still tried to fight for her life. But she soon lost her will to struggle and surrendered to the sharp teeth ripping her apart. The kami listened to her cries ringing through the forest and smelled anger and fear, despair and blood. Yet he didn't notice any of it. He stared with unseeing eyes, oblivious to everything but Leon's voice in his head.

"_Must suck pretty much. I mean, being half-human when one of your parents is sworn to kill humans."_

Leon understood a lot about killing. He had killed himself, D didn't know how often. It was part of his job, and he did it like he did everything else. When it was necessary and then without doubt or hesitation. But did D not have the right to kill as well, when he thought it necessary? Could Leon not understand why he had to punish humans?

Slowly, a searing pain worked its way into his chest. Breathing got difficult. D's fingers went cold. He clutched himself protectively.

And then he bolted over to the wolf.

"Stop, Aya-chan!" he yelled. She obliged at once. The woman stared at him with glassy eyes, but she was not yet dead. D didn't know what he was doing. He'd never felt so confused in his whole life, not even when he found out that he was pregnant. All he knew was that he couldn't watch this human getting killed in front of his eyes right now.

"It's enough, Aya-chan," he breathed, voice barely above a whisper. "It is enough. Leave her and come with me."

The wolf bared her teeth. "But she killed my mate! I have to avenge him!" she accused, yellow eyes wild and pained. D swallowed the lump in his throat.

"I know, Aya-chan. But letting her live with this knowledge, with what you did to her, is better revenge than killing her, no matter how painful you would make it. Leave with me, now."

She followed his commands, like he knew she would. They hastened through the night, D painfully aware of the sirens where they had just left the bleeding woman.

When they arrived back at the shop, Leon was sitting beside Dana's bed, watching the girl sleep. The second he noticed D's presence, he briskly stood and strode out. "Gotta go. Jill's gonna have my ass if I don't turn up soon. Bye, D."

"Leon," D got out. His throat felt like corded up. It was meant to be a cry, but it came out as a pledge. The blonde hesitated, but didn't turn.

"You are what you are. That's okay. I'm what I am, too. Dana's going to have to live with parents who know how to kill."

He strode out. D sank onto the chair beside Dana's small bed and buried his face in his hands. The tears still found their way through his fingers.

* * *

A/N: Oh god, drama queens in action -.- Me sorry. (I don't like this chapter. Perhaps you noticed.) Thanks for the reviews and a happy new year to everybody! We'll see if they're going to do better in the new year... ^^

BC: Thanks *smile* I've got a little niece, too, and a lot of baby-sitting kids, so I shaped Dana pretty much like them since I don't have kids on my own. And thanks for reading my profile ;-) Sometimes I get the feeling nobody looks at it at all...


	13. Gone offtrack

**Gone off-track**

"Seems like some woman in downtown was attacked by some kind of wolf last night."

It was a casual statement, said into the room like just being read in the newspaper and deemed worthy of voicing it loud. But D knew it wasn't. He froze, his hands halfway to the teapot.

"She was?" he inquired shakily. Leon nodded, took his knife out of Dana's hand, replaced it with her bread and returned to reading the newspaper.

"She's still in the hospital. Doctors think she'll survive, but animal control is going crazy. They say it has to be someone's dog and are afraid they might've the rabies in the city."

"Then I should perhaps not let Dana play outside," D offered. The blonde shrugged.

"Dunno. You tell me if she can be afflicted by human illness."

"In fact, rabies isn't only a human sickness, but an animal one, too. She could be afflicted by it." D sat down, feeling like his knees were going to buckle any moment. Leon threw him a sharp glance, folded the paper noisily and put it on the table, standing up.

"Gotta go, have to be there on time. Laura's mother's going to come again," he said and bent to hug Dana. "See ya later, sweetie."

"Goodbye, Detective," the kami said with numb lips, while Dana's eyes couldn't decide which father to look at. The pets in the kitchen were silent, trying to observe as much as possible. Leon strode out, hastily waving at Dana and not even glancing at D once.

* * *

He returned some hours later only to find D sitting at the kitchen table like a statue. He looked as if he hadn't budged since the blonde left in the morning, and his gaze was fixed on some distant spot at the wall.

"You gonna wake up sometime soon or what? Dana's wreaking havoc with your precious shop," Leon said gruffly and snapped the kami back.

"What?!" he exclaimed in surprise, seeming only now to notice the sounds from the front. "Oh my, I have to -!"

"Relax, that's only T-chan and Pon-chan cleaning again. Dana's here."

Finally the mismatched eyes looked at the human who stood in the door, an indiscernible expression on his face. The girl was seated on his hip, chewing on her lower lip and looking guilty. D sagged down onto the chair with a deep sigh and buried his face in his hands.

"Would you bathe her, please?" he murmured through his fingers and could see Leon shrug.

"Sure. C'mon, honey, let's get you ready for bed."

D stayed on the chair, listening to the sounds of the animals clearing the front room. He felt like frozen to the wood underneath him. Or perhaps he just felt miserable and thus couldn't summon the strength to take care of his child like he usually would. Truth was, Leon's words from yesterday evening were still echoing in his ears, and when he closed his eyes, he saw the blonde standing in the door, his back to him and Dana. He just couldn't shake them off, not the voice and neither the picture.

"So, am I still going to have her this weekend?"

Again D jumped and stared at the human leaning in the doorframe. A quick glance at the clock told him that his usually perfect feeling for time had left him. He had sat on this chair for nearly two hours, lost in the memories and doubts. Quickly he scratched together the last pieces of dignity and answered the question.

"Of course. Why should you not have her this weekend? Or has something happened – something at work?" His voice trailed off.

Leon strode to the other chair and sat down as well, playing with his hands. "No, everything's fine at work. Jill promised she wouldn't call me if she needs someone. I can take her."

"Then – why do you ask? We had agreed on you taking her this weekend." D's voice was still faint. Leon shrugged, still not looking at him.

"Dunno. You could've changed your mind."

His throat was corded up. The kami swallowed hard. "No, I did not change my mind. You will pick her up tomorrow after work?"

"Yeah."

Silence filled the kitchen, hovering heavily over them. Someone smashed a cup in the front room and the other pets howled in spite. D felt like he would explode any second, but couldn't summon the courage to talk to Leon. Finally, the blonde stood again.

"Well, I'll be on my way. Have to do some shopping if I don't want us to starve this weekend," he said.

D nodded hastily. "Do that, Detective."

He nodded as well, glancing at the wall. "Bye, D."

"Sleep well, Detective."

Perhaps Leon would have turned. Perhaps he would have listened to D if he tried to talk to him about the woman. But he didn't know either how to start that conversation. So he hurried out as fast as he could, scolding himself the whole evening for not just asking why he had let her live while he was doing the shopping.

They had to find a way to make this work, even if only for Dana's sake. There just had to be a compromise they could agree on about how to raise their daughter. What was the whole point about D and Dana being here if they didn't even manage that? And they'd been here for quite a while now. Yes, they were getting along. Yes, they had even developed new ways how to handle each other, how to react and how to behave. But still, they were only living besides each other, not with each other.

Leon stopped and stared at a packet of rice unseeingly. With each other? Did he want to live _with_ D rather than live beside him?

There was no doubt what would be better for Dana. And he couldn't get rid of the feeling that D would prefer it that way, too. Still…

When he'd found D again in Japan, he had been on the verge of admitting that what he felt for the Chinese was more than pure friendship. He'd never really been able to admit that he might be in love with a guy. Only that D was no real guy. He was an in-between, not even human. That was not the problem, it somewhat solved one. Dana was the problem. Or rather, not the girl herself, but the fact that she was there and that D had never told Leon about her.

He was managing so far. He could keep the pain under control, the hurt at being betrayed by one he'd trusted in spite of everything. But that only went so far. Raising Dana with D was still something else than getting together with D. It required a lot of trust, and a lot of forgiveness. Was he really able to forgive D yet?

Leon never thought much about these things. That was girl-stuff. He could decide and stick to his decision. Only that D had a tendency to cause situations in which Leon wasn't able to decide anymore what to do or how to feel. On the one hand, yes, he liked the guy. He damn hell liked him a lot, so much it hurt just to think of the years he'd been all alone. And on the other hand, he was so unsure of everything D did and said. He never knew what the kami would be up to the next second, and if he would like it. Sometimes Leon almost hated D for shaking up his whole world so thoroughly. He just wanted to know for once where he stood. Where his place in D's little game was.

But was it still D's little game? Three years ago, Leon would not have doubted it for a second. But now – D seemed unsure himself so often lately. Things had not gone according to plan, surely not. Dana had not been planned, D had said that himself. Neither had he planned to let Leon know about her.

But he was talking about D here. D, who always had each and everything under control. It could not be that he wasn't able to adjust to this situation with his usual superior smile.

Leon had not seen that particular smile in quite a while. To be exact, not since Japan, and the evening he'd found out about Dana. Things had gone out of hand from there on, and perhaps D had felt just as helpless as Leon did. Perhaps he too was wondering the whole time how this was supposed to work out.

But still…

Leon sighed, took a packet of rice and put it in his bag. He was not going to get an answer standing around in the supermarket. And he was not going to ask D either. Not yet.

* * *

When Leon picked Dana up the next day, the weather was gloomy and clouded, matching the mood in the pet shop. D would not look at him while he placed Dana in the children's seat. The girl was unusually crotchety and clung to her kami father until he carefully pried her small hands loose. A quick nod was the only goodbye Leon got before D disappeared into the shop again, not once looking back.

The blonde sighed and looked at Pon-chan and T-chan standing on top of the stairs, looking unhappy, too. "I'll bring her back Sunday afternoon," he told them.

"Yes," the raccoon answered depressed. Tetsu did not even care to muster a growl, just stared into the sky gloomily.

Leon got into the car and drove to his apartment. Dana was unhappy. She wouldn't listen to a story, she wouldn't help Leon cook, and she wouldn't eat either. Finally he gave up, left her sitting in her corner and watched TV, carefully making sure she could not see the screen. When bedtime came around, he had to carry Dana through his apartment for nearly two hours to get her to sleep.

At last the girl's eyes dropped shut. Leon went into the bathroom and stared into the mirror. A young man stared back, blonde hair mussed and torn, blue eyes tired and sad. Only the dark shadows under them were missing. He sighed deeply. This whole charade was of no use. He'd really thought they could work it out. Thought they could make it, these last few weeks. What had caused the sudden break in their still so new, fragile relationship? And could they fix it again?

Perhaps it had been lurking there the whole time. It probably had. He and D, it had never really worked, now, had it? They were just too different. Or was it just him who was making this so fucking complicated?

A loud cry from the other room shattered his trance. Leon whirled around and hurried to Dana, soothing the girl as good as possible. But it wouldn't work. She kept crying for D, and even fought Leon weakly with her small hands. The blonde caved in, afraid she wouldn't sleep the whole night if he didn't do something. But still, his hand hesitated over the receiver. Calling D in the middle of the night was not something he'd ever done before.

Dana put a firm stop to his skittishness. "Bàbà!" she wailed, and Leon picked up the phone, dialling in the number of the pet shop.

D answered at once, as if he'd sat beside the telephone waiting for the call. "Count D's pet shop, how can I help you?"

Leon gulped. "Hi D, it's me. Dana had a nightmare. She won't stop crying, and she's calling for you. Will you come over?"

* * *

The pet shop was so very quiet when Dana was not there. And though the pets were still here, it seemed terribly empty to D. He went through the rooms, Tetsu at his heels, sighing softly from time to time. He'd grown accustomed to his child being here. He'd also grown accustomed to Leon being here. But now, both of them were away, were staying at Leon's apartment, and he was left here, like the last reminder of a what-if.

What if he'd told Leon as soon as he realised he was pregnant? What if he'd told him after the birth? What if…

Such thoughts went nowhere, expect that they were driving him even deeper into depression. He should really stop it. But then again, when and why had things started to go wrong? He'd really thought they were handling the situation okay.

Why did Leon have to meddle with his affairs? Why could he not leave it alone? D could not change what he was, and he didn't want to change it. Or did he have to change it? Just because of his child? He'd thought, once, that nature had meant him to be something new. But that was not true. If someone was meant to be something new, it was Dana. His child, not he himself. He was still what he had always been, and what he would always be.

D sat down at his dressing table and stared at the cradle besides his bed. Perhaps Leon would be able to take better care of their child than he. He was, after all, a human, and much better suited to deal with Dana's human sides than D.

The telephone ringing stopped this train of thought before he could really think about it. Which was lucky, because it made no real sense, all things considered. Leon would not be able to deal with Dana's kami heritage, after all.

D snatched the receiver up, heart beating fast, praying that nothing had happened to Dana and Leon. He could not cope with that right now.

"Count D's pet shop, how can I help you?"

It was Leon, and D's heart stopped for a second as he heard the blonde's voice. "Hi D, it's me. Dana had a nightmare. She won't stop crying, and she's calling for you. Will you come over?"

The kami's lips were dry. "What? What did she dream?"

"I don't know, funny, she didn't tell me." Leon sounded worried and irritated. "Will you get your ass here now or do I have to carry her over?"

Why did he hate the idea of stepping into Leon's flat right now?

D hesitated, not knowing what to say, how to explain. Not even knowing what he should explain. His mind was spinning. The silence stretched.

"D, come over. Please."

Leon's voice had changed, was both tired and exasperated now. Through the phone D could hear his daughter sobbing silently. She was probably sitting on Leon's hip right now, clutching his t-shirt with sticky hands. The kami sighed and gave in. "I will be there in a few minutes. Just give me time to dress properly, please," he said and hung up. Tetsu looked up.

"What's the matter, Count?" he asked. "Did Leon fuck up something again?"

"Tetsu! Mind your language!" D reprimanded and fished one of his cheongsam out of the wardrobe. Though he had to hurry, he took a moment to consider his choice. Finding that it would enhance his eyes, he put the silk on and looked for his shoes, talking all the while. "The detective didn't do anything. Dana had another nightmare and woke. Leon is luckily reasonable enough not to carry her through the streets at this time of the night, so I have to go to his apartment instead."

The totetsu's eyes were unreadable as he scrutinized his master. "Yeah. Okay. Have fun, then. She'll be all cool when you arrive, I bet, but if you think you have to go…"

D turned his head to the tiger-goat while he slipped on a dark brocade shoe. "Tetsu, what's the matter with you? I thought you like Dana. Aren't you worried about her?" "I am," T-chan protested. "It's just – oh, forget it."

He curled up again on the bed. The kami stared at him in confusion for a moment, but then decided he could ask him tomorrow. Right now his daughter was more important. So he hurried to the front room, took his coat and carefully closed the door after telling a sleepy Pon-chan to watch the shop and call Honlon if necessary. Then he took off to Leon's apartment.

* * *

Arriving there, he could hear his daughter through the door already. His heart cramped painfully at hearing those desperate sobs, and he couldn't get the key into the lock quick enough. Leon whirled round at the sound of the opening door, but D didn't really notice him. He almost ran the few steps to the human on whose arm the girl was sitting. He'd been walking around in the flat, hoping that the child would be soothed by the constant movement.

The moment Dana saw her kami father, she extended her arms, eyes small with fatigue and fear. The kami cooed soothingly and Leon handed the girl over relieved. She clung to D with all her strength, and he almost winced a little. It seemed to him that she was getting stronger each day. He'd taught her to control it, or at least tried to, and usually she was careful, especially because she knew the pets would get angry if she treated them too wildly. But now she forgot, and clutched her father, burying her fingers in his shoulder. D was glad he'd clipped her fingernails recently.

While Leon vanished into the kitchen, no doubt to drink something, D continued to walk around the flat, soothing Dana with little Chinese words and children's songs. He didn't realise that the blonde had entered again until he heard him chuckle and spun round, blushing that he had caught him singing. But Leon's eyes were warm.

"Sounds nice," he said softly. "Perhaps I should try singing, too. Only that I can't really sing, I'd probably make her cry even more."

D relaxed and smiled shyly. "I think Dana wouldn't mind," he replied. The girl sniffed and tugged on his hair.

"Bàbà stay," she claimed. D fumbled for a handkerchief and made her blow her nose into it.

"I will never leave you, Dana," he whispered and hugged her tightly. "You need not be afraid."

She extended her hands towards Leon again, who looked surprised, but took her all the same. "What's the matter, sweetie, why don't you stay with D? I thought you wanted to have him here," he said. Dana didn't answer, she leaned her head on his shoulder tiredly.

D glanced at his daughter suspiciously. Suddenly he understood what T-chan had meant earlier. It almost seemed as if Dana was doing this on purpose. It just wasn't normal that she would have nightmares whenever he and Leon weren't both there.

He didn't voice his suspicion, though. Leon seemed pretty tired, and Dana was still teary-eyed. He didn't want to discuss this now. "Why don't you don't go sleep now, lovely?" he asked his daughter and took her small hand. "I will stay here."

She yawned and both men exchanged a look. D smiled carefully. Leon didn't return the smile, but at least he didn't turn away at once. Instead he smiled down on his daughter. "Yeah, it's time for bed, honey. Make yourself at home, D. I'll be back soon."

With that, he vanished into the bedroom and closed the door behind him. The kami looked around the small apartment and settled for preparing a cup of tea in the kitchen. Of course Leon had only tea bags, but it was better than nothing. Then he settled onto the sofa and switched on the TV. He didn't feel like going back to sleep right now, and there wasn't something else in Leon's flat he could busy himself with.

* * *

Dana was asleep again. Leon looked down on his child and tucked the covers more tightly around her, sighing softly. Now he had no excuse, he had to face D now, whatever would come out of it. He didn't feel up to a fight, and he hoped D didn't, either.

He bent down and kissed Dana's cheek. Then he left the bedroom, silently closing the door behind him, and surveyed the sitting room. D had switched on Leon's TV and was now watching something with fascination. Leon glanced at the screen and sighed again. "D, switch that off. It sucks."

He was rewarded with the quickest glance from mismatched eyes and then the kami concentrated on the TV again. "I don't think so. Language," he said and actually settled down more comfortably. The blonde rolled his eyes, fetched himself a beer from the kitchen and sat down beside D.

"That's girl-stuff, D, switch it off. Let's watch something else. There's Dirty Harry on Fox tonight. Perhaps we'll still get most of it."

The kami clutched the remote stubbornly. "Do you know that movie?" he inquired, not deigning to consider Leon's suggestion. The blonde sighed for the third time and wondered if that would become some kind of new habit.

"Yeah, and I also know how it ends. Switch to Fox."

"But I want to see this!" D protested. Leon glared.

"D. That's Notting Hill. It's just about two guys getting together. It's boring." He took a swig of his beer as if to steady himself. D kept right on ignoring him. His mismatched eyes were fixed on the TV-screen where Julia Roberts was just trying to smuggle Hugh Grant into her suite. They grew big and furious when suddenly Julia's – or better, Anna's – boyfriend turned up.

"What's he doing there?" he exclaimed and glared at the guy. "Humans! They're nothing but trouble, always turning up when they shouldn't!"

Usually Leon would've responded to that, but right now he was too busy staring at the deity sitting besides him and raging on about a fucking _girls'_ movie. God, getting Dana had for sure changed D. It wasn't like him to take such an interest in human love affairs. It wasn't like him to take any interest in humans at all. Especially considering what they had been fighting about the whole last week.

The blonde cleared his throat to make a comment about that, but found to his surprise that D had shifted on the sofa towards him and was now resting his head on the backrest close to his shoulder, his feet drawn up comfortably besides him. Well. If Leon would be doing that on D's sofa, he'd be kicked out of the shop. But apparently ruining Leon's furniture that way was okay.

Silently berating the kami for that busied the blonde another ten minutes. Things were getting difficult between Anna and William again. She'd just turned up on his doorstep and told him about the photos. D snuggled closer and clutched Leon's arm. His mouth went dry and he took a quick swig of beer, nearly choking on it in his haste, but D was too busy to notice. "They're going to be all right, aren't they?" he asked Leon anxiously. "They are going to work things out?"

The blonde cleared his throat. "D, it's just a friggin' movie. And yes, there's gonna be a happy end. It's Hollywood, and it's Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant and they're gonna be _fine_. Cool down."

D looked up at him from his position nearly in Leon's lap. His brow furrowed. "How do you know that?"

He was really going to loose it sometime soon this evening. Night. Whatever.

"Because I fucking watched that one in the movies with Sandy and a few friends of ours when it came out!" he snapped at D. Who, not surprisingly, didn't care. Or probably, didn't even notice, eyes glued to the screen as they were and listening to Leon with only half an ear anyway. The blonde continued nevertheless, wanting to finish his speech if he'd been asked to talk about that film.

"In fact, it was pretty funny in the end, because Sandy started to make comments about everything, and we laughed the whole time. Other folks were pretty pissed, though." He chuckled at the memory before he remembered that he probably shouldn't be talking about Sandra in front of D, especially not like this. It sounded as if they'd been a couple at the time, which they hadn't been. In fact, they'd wanted to watch another movie, but that had been sold out and they decided to watch Notting Hill instead. If it hadn't been for Sandy's comments, Leon would've regretted spending his money on that one.

Glancing at D, about to explain how he had ended up in a girly movie with Sandy, he realised that the kami hadn't even listened to him. He was pressing Leon's arm tightly, eyes wide and sympathetic. When William helped Anna learn her text, he let out a small sigh of relief. "Oh, why do they have to make it so complicated?" he complained and loosened his grip again, turning up his face to look at Leon.

Who, as it happened, was regarding him in turn with the strangest look in his blue eyes. D blushed rapidly and skidded away from the human, smoothing out his cheongsam carefully.

Leon spoke, his voice as strange as his eyes. "Because that's the way it works, D. You might not know, but love's pretty difficult most of the time. True, not everybody fusses around like they do, but there's more to it than just pheromones and sex. At least if you really want to spend your life with someone."

The kami's hands stopped on the silk. He didn't dare look up. "You seem to have a lot of experience in those matters," he remarked softly, not daring his voice to speak louder. From his limited point of view he could see Leon shrug.

"I'm nearly thirty, D. I've had my share of relationships, as you very well know. Just because I like having sex doesn't mean I'm completely oblivious to everything else."

Silence stretched to the breaking point. They didn't dare look at each other, but both knew the other was thinking about a chaste kiss in the door, meant as a tease, and yet, no tease at all.

It was the TV that rescued them, or rather, Julia Roberts. Leon smiled, D looked up and the blonde extended the hand with the beer in it. "C'mon, take one and let's switch to Dirty Harry, okay? Light fun."

It was a peace offering. Leon was probably as tired as he was and not in shape for another round of educational disagreements. The kami looked at the can critically, but took it and took a tiny, tiny sip. "I'd prefer watching this one," he said and sent a pleading look at the human.

He sighed and got up. "Okay, okay. But we'll watch another one once this is over, deal?"

D nodded enthusiastically while Leon vanished into the kitchen to get another beer. When he sat down on the sofa again, D carefully scooted as close to him as he dared and placed his head on the back of the sofa right besides Leon's shoulder. They watched the movie in silence. Some kind of truce had been called for now.

The only question was how long it would last.

* * *

A/N: Ouch. D's so OOC I can't even begin to describe it DX Please, everyone, forgive me. I'm trying, but I'm not always succeeding in keeping them IC...

And thanks for the reviews! ^^ Hope you all had a good beginning of the new year and so long, Enaty


	14. Truce

**Truce**

D actually sighed softly, longingly, as the last picture of Notting Hill flickered over the screen, Anna and William in the park, the small bulge of her belly already visible. Leon had to swallow. The image of D with such a small bulge appeared in his mind.

Quickly he leaned forward and placed his can on the table, thus shaking the kami off his shoulder on which his dark head had rested.

"I'm tired. You wanna watch another movie? 'Cause I could do with a nap," he said before he could start to object.

But D's mismatched eyes were soft and not at all angry. "No, I don't want to watch something else. It is quite late," he replied and the blonde nearly choked. D was really not himself this evening. His usual reply would've been something along the lines of "Watching TV is completely unnecessary and even dangerous. I really do not understand why you like it so much."

"You want the bed?" he asked, staring at the kami half lying on his sofa comfortably. At this moment he resembled the animals lounging in the front room of the shop. His mismatched eyes glinted behind the hair falling into his face.

"No, I will walk back to the shop," said kami broke through his thoughts and sat up, carefully smoothing his silken garment. A cat. A cat licking her shining fur until it was immaculate.

For a second Leon wondered what had become of the chain he'd given D back in Japan, and if the kami ever wore it. He'd not seen it so far. Was it because D didn't like it or was it because of some other reason the kami would never tell him?

"You won't," Leon said before he could think about it. D stopped and looked at him in some surprise.

"Why not, Detective?" he asked. "It's late. The streets aren't safe at this time. You can stay here. I don't mind sleeping on the sofa."

D looked like he'd just forgotten how to breathe, but he still reminded Leon of a fact with a half-smirk. "Detective, I am fully able to watch out for myself. Believe me, nothing will happen if I walk back to the shop now."

"But Dana could have another nightmare. Then I'd have to call you again. Where's the point in leaving?" The blonde shrugged and tried to act as if he was offering some friend to crash in his flat. What he of course wasn't, and they both knew it. He didn't even know why he suddenly wanted to keep D here. Just that in spite of D's strange abilities, he didn't want him to walk around in dark streets when he could as well stay here.

"But the sofa is uncomfortable for a whole night. I do not want to impose myself on you."

"Hell, D!" Leon was loosing his temper far quicker than he'd thought. No wonder, at this time of the night, and after such uproar. "How many times have I crashed at the shop? How many times have I 'imposed' myself on you in the middle of the night, without such a good reason as our child having nightmares? Now stop fussing and get into the bed."

D opened his mouth as if to protest. Then a soft blush crept up in his cheeks, and he stood and floated to the door to the bedroom without another word. Leon watched him, feeling as embarrassed as he. The kami stopped under it and turned back, favouring the human with a soft smile. "Sleep well, Detective," he said and disappeared, closing the door quietly.

Leon made himself comfortable on the sofa, staring at the ceiling unseeingly. Now he only had to get the pictures of D in his bed out of his head to be able to actually sleep.

* * *

He could not know that D was having difficulties with exactly the same, too, only that in his case, he of course was thinking about Leon. And the last time he'd been in this bed.

The kami bit his lip and blushed deeply. For almost three years he'd managed not to think about the night he'd conceived, at least, not about his actions then. But now the memories rushed back with all their might. Leon's hands on his body, the fire that had kindled in his belly when the blonde touched him in ways he'd only dreamt of until that night. The way Leon had moaned when D had allowed him to enter his body, and how his own breath had become ragged and uneven at the feeling of Leon inside him, touching him in the most intimate way possible. He'd wanted to last like this forever, entwined with the one he loved more than he could tell, ignoring their differences, the difficulties of them being together, the consequences of his actions…

Now the result of this night was peacefully asleep besides said bed. D might have been able to appreciate that irony had he not been so busy pushing the thoughts back. He could feel his body reacting to the memories, and it was simply embarrassing. Could he not control himself better? Had he not learned his lesson? This just could not be…

Neither Leon nor D did sleep much in this night. But neither could work up the courage to go to the other, either.

* * *

D had drifted off to sleep somewhere before dawn, but he was not granted much rest. Dana was up at half past seven again, standing in her little bed, calling for "Daddy" to get her out of it. When she saw D raising his head from the pillow, she silenced and looked at him with great blue eyes. "Bàbà?" she asked, small voice astounded. The kami sighed and was about to get up when the door opened and Leon entered.

"Ssh, honey, be quiet. Let'm sleep," he whispered and got his daughter up. She looked at her kami father over Leon's shoulder, but the human did not notice that he was awake. D quickly closed his eyes again and pretended to be asleep. He felt Leon's eyes on him and heard the soft steps as well as the closing door. Again he sighed and snuggled into the pillow. It smelled of Leon. He could see the blonde lying on it, sleeping peacefully, exhausted after hours of love-making.

Instantly he envied the numerous women who'd been able to watch him sleep without having to hurry away, driven by the fear to be caught. How young he'd looked, and how peaceful and sweet, on that night… and how incredibly guilty D had felt for taking advantage of him in such a way, for betraying the one human he truly loved. He had buried that night deep in his heart and sworn to never think of it again, but it had ached and hurt the whole time, the knowledge of what he could have had and what he would never have. It had hurt so much that pushing Leon away had been an easy, if painful, task. Not seeing the human anymore meant no more memories of strong hands on his body, of a warm, welcoming mouth and the rush of pleasure like none he'd ever felt before…

And then his sin had been punished in the worst way it could have been punished. He'd gotten a child by the one he loved, and he could not tell him, because then he would have had to reveal his betrayal…

D stared at the ceiling with unseeing eyes. Leon had not forgiven him that yet, too. He should have known that his hopes were completely futile. Human and kami just were not meant for each other. Especially where his family was concerned. But Dana – what was with the children who were both? The children like her? There had been Halflings, he knew that. What had become of them when his race had been erased?

A wondrous scent made him snap out. The young kami opened his eyes, sniffed and sat up in Leon's bed, drawing the cover up, not wanting to bare his chest. The door was opened again and Dana came inside, carefully carrying a plate with omelettes on it. Her little face was tight with concentration.

"Dana! Oh, how dear of you!" her father exclaimed, forgetting to hold up the cover. He took the plate and helped the child crawl onto the bed.

"Dana make food!" she announced proudly and D's mouth twitched.

"Was it not Leon who made those?" he asked softly.

"No, she did them all on her own. I just watched so she wouldn't burn her fingers."

Leon was leaning against the doorframe, blue eyes amused and tender. D smiled experimentally. The blonde didn't smile back, but he didn't turn away either. "That was very considerate of you, Detective," he said. The human shrugged.

"Yeah, well, you know what she'd've done if she burnt her fingers?"

D wanted to say that that was not what he'd meant, but he suddenly realised that Leon knew exactly what he'd meant. So he kept silent and instead tasted the omelettes. His eyes closed in bliss. The mattress sank and he knew that the blonde had just sat down on the bed, too. He glanced at him through black lashes and saw that Leon's eyes were on their child. Dana was sitting between D's legs at the moment and eyeing the omelettes with some interest.

The kami opened his eyes again. "Say, where did you learn to do those?" he asked. "They are wonderful."

"Thanks." Leon grinned. "My mom taught me how to do them. She loved omelettes." He intensively looked out of the window. "She couldn't leave me to eat fast food all the time, now, could she?" he murmured, half to himself.

He felt D's eyes on his face, but did not turn to look at him. His conscience was nagging him again. There was something D didn't know yet. It probably was mere chance, there was no other explanation. Leon had never told D much of his and Chris' mother, no need for that. She wasn't here anymore anyway. And Dana…

The blonde glanced at the bed. D was just feeding one of the omelettes to the child, laughing at the way she was sitting on her knees in front of him, mouth open like a young bird, waiting for him to feed her. Leon's heart made two very painful leaps before it settled back into normal rhythm. Then his eyes fully took the kami in. For a moment his jaw nearly fell.

D. Was sitting in _his_ bed. With only his leggings on. Or perhaps not even those.

Mismatched eyes looked up by mere chance and locked on his. Leon felt his face heat up. "Are you not hungry, Detective?" the kami inquired, halting his attempts at feeding the child. Dana protested and tried to catch the omelette with her mouth. D squawked in surprise when she lost her balance and fell against his chest, pushing him down. He lay blinking with surprise while the girl rolled on her father laughing.

Leon burst out, too. D's face was just too funny. He looked completely caught off-guard with his lips forming a tiny 'o'. "Don't feed the kids, please," the blonde chuckled and scooped his giggling child up, instantly tickling her. The girl wriggled and screamed with joy. "C'mon, D, get up! Can't stay in bed the whole day." Leon reached for him absent-mindedly, eyes still on the kid, and pulled the kami up at his arm.

And for a second, they were close enough to kiss. He'd just have to close the distance between them, not five centimetres, and then he would be kissing D…

If it hadn't been for Dana, they probably would have stayed like this for hours, each one's heart suddenly beating double-time, each too afraid to cover the tiny space that seemed like the deepest canyon in the world, each both wanting the other to do the first step and afraid of it all the same.

But the child was quite oblivious to the tension suddenly thick in the room. Or, perhaps, she felt with the sure instinct of children that the bridge between her fathers had yet to be built, and that as long as they weren't able to do so themselves, kisses should stay a dream.

"Daddy eat too!" she demanded, grabbed one of the omelettes and shoved it right into Leon's face.

The blonde startled, drew back and shakily smiled at the baby. "Thanks, sweetie."

And the incident was never mentioned again although it was burnt into their minds.

* * *

A/N: Unreleased sexual tension, how I love you! xD Sorry. Damn the kid? And thank you for the reviews!

BC: Well, it's more important that the readers like the chapters than that I like them ^^ And yes, the story sometimes needs to stagnate so that everyone can become aware of what the situation is. But personally I find that very hard to write (mostly because then I've got to think about it, too -.-) No, you didn't write anything in Unwanted, but you're very eager here, so that's fine with me, and also that I have to bear with you now ^^ Yeah, being young and in love tends to make an idiot out of everybody, so that's my personal explanation for D's strange behaviour, too. ;-) *hugs back* Enaty

lijana: You're probably not going to read this right away, but I wanted to answer anyway. I know that the characters are not quite canon, but I think that this is explainable (or excusable) under the aspect that they both are changing at the moment. D's insecurity is everything but canon, yes, but: he was thrown into a situation where he never thought he would find himself in. Even in the canon he can be surprised, he can feel pain and worry and all other emotions humans have, too, and since I for myself picture him as pretty young and inexperienced in emotional and especially relationship problems, I think it's justified that he's insecure.  
It's my personal point of view and of course you are entitled to your own opinion. If you wish to, I'm happy to discuss this in detail with you, but please pm me then since the Author's Notes aren't the place to discuss a story. Thank you too, Enaty


	15. Bedtime Stories

**Bedtime stories**

"And that was the story of the little bear," Leon finished, whispering and closing the book. Dana was asleep in her bed, sucking on her thumb peacefully. The blonde set aside the book he'd just read to his little daughter and looked into the baby bed. He seldom noticed. But Dana was still so small. It didn't show when they were playing, or when Dana turned the shop into chaos, or when D was trying to calm her down. But she really was small.

Something indefinable filled Leon's heart as he watched the child sleep so peacefully, trusting that he and D would be there when she woke. And, as a matter of fact, they would be, because Dana had once again lured her kami father to Leon's apartment. Or, better, he hadn't even waited until the blonde called him and shown up on his doorstep eight o'clock sharp, smiling and offering a bakery box to a confused Leon who tried not to think of the morning and having breakfast in bed with D and Dana.

The blonde sighed and went out on tip-toes, closing the bedroom door behind him. D was sitting on the sofa, because even though Dana insisted on both her fathers being present, she wanted to be brought to bed by Leon. The blonde glanced at the screen and raised an eyebrow.

"D. Not another one of these. Geez, what's your problem? Every night Dana spends here, you turn up and start watching some strange movie on my TV. And it's always some girly movie."

The kami spared him a curt glimpse and resumed watching the TV. Leon sat down beside him on the sofa and looked at the TV too. "God, D, my _mom_ loved that one!"

"It is a rather nice change to the others," he answered and scooted closer. "It actually shows the problems that can arise in a relationship. And it's not my fault that I have to be here again."

Leon snorted and took a sip of his beer. "Yeah, little missy's got her own head. She's just like you."

"I'd rather say she inherited her stubbornness from you," D answered and sighed softly. The blonde looked down on him, mismatched eyes fixed on the TV again. His face shone with a light the blonde had never before seen there. If he wasn't terribly wrong, D longed. He longed, strange as it seemed for him to long for human emotions, for what these movies showed. Some change had occurred in D. Leon couldn't name it, but the kami seemed softer than usual, more vulnerable and yet, more sure of himself.

_Talk about strange protective feelings._

Leon took another sip of beer and slid an arm around D's shoulders carefully. For a moment mismatched eyes left the TV-screen and looked up at the blonde in surprise. Then a soft, shy smile graced his lips and he blushed slightly.

"What's the name again? I only remember my mom was nuts for it, for some reason," Leon asked to release the tension.

"Forget Paris," the kami answered and shyly settled into the crook of his arm.

"Mm. Is it any good?"

D tilted his head to the side and considered the question. "The male actor always plays the same kind of man, it seems to me."

Leon checked the screen. "Yeah, that's Billy Crystal. He plays the small, funny guy pretty often. There was another one he made, gimme a moment… Yeah, that's 'When Harry met Sally…' That one's pretty funny, too."

"Do you know how it ends?" D inquired and turned his head to look at the blonde.

"Yeah, but do you really expect me to tell you and ruin all the fun? If I've got to watch such a stupid movie, I wanna at least have the fun of you not knowing what's gonna happen." He grinned at the frown on the kami's face, but D settled back and watched in silence.

Lucky thing they were already past the part where Ellen and Mickey tried to get children. Leon didn't know if he could've stood watching that with D.

The kami actually gave a soft cry when Ellen suddenly appeared at the game. And when Mickey kissed her, he pressed Leon's arm so hard the human winced. There could be no possible doubt that D, although he might prefer being perceived as a male, was more female in some respects than every other woman Leon knew. Jill, for example, would not have been sitting here besides him with bright eyes and a dreamy smile on her lips, and as for Sandy – well, _she_ would probably not even make it until that scene.

"Are we done with fluffy girls' movies for today?" Leon asked dryly and drained his beer. D didn't answer at once, so he nudged him. "Hey, it's late. Dana's still asleep. We might go to bed anytime soon, you know. I've gotta work tomorrow."

The kami sighed and snapped out of his trance. "Yes, you are right," he murmured. A light blush crept up in his cheeks and Leon perked up. What was he up to now?

D's eyes flickered over the blonde's face, and he hesitated.

"The sofa is very uncomfortable," he said then, very softly.

Leon raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. So what? I'll live. It's just one night."

"But -" D hesitated again. The blonde got the feeling he knew where this was going.

The kami confirmed his suspicions not a second later. "You should sleep in your own bed. I do not want to drive you out of it in your own apartment."

"But you'd prefer sleeping in the bed, too, because you don't like an uncomfortable sofa either," Leon concluded and stared. He could not believe that D was honestly suggesting they could both sleep in Leon's bed. In the very bed in which their daughter had been conceived.

Had they been in the bed at all? Damn, not being able to remember was so fucking annoying!

Mismatched eyes again flickered up for a moment. "It is a very big bed," D said apologetic.

Leon crossed his arms. "No way, D. Now fucking way I am ever coming to bed with you," he coolly enlightened the kami.

"Then I will sleep on the sofa." D's voice tolerated no protest, but in this special case, human stubbornness matched kami perfectly.

"You'll sleep in the bed. I know how you get when you've not been comfortable. I'd rather have one uncomfortable night than you in a bad mood the whole next day."

"I am _not_ in a bad mood when I haven't slept!"

"Oh yes you are. Or when you don't get your regular sugar fix, or when you think I'm behaving wrong again, or when…"

"DADDY!"

The fight stopped before it could really start. Both adults sighed in exasperation as well as disappointment, but Leon got up and fetched their daughter from her bed. She took one look at D and her tears dried. "Bed," she demanded. Leon actually glared down at her. "Dana, I swear, you're the most spoiled child I ever saw," he growled. "What in all heavens is the matter with you?"

D stood, too, glided over and took the child. "Darling, I told you neither of us would leave you alone," he said softly. "Now come back to bed, will you?"

"Daddy bed, Bàbà bed, Dana bed."

The blonde stared at the kami. "Tell me one thing, please: have you trained her to read your thoughts or why does she always back _you_ up?"

D smirked. "I raised her most of her life. Of course she's on my side," he said convinced and added then wearily, "Do you know what will happen if we don't do as she demands?" Leon followed him back to the bedroom, muttering under his breath. D wanted to lay the child down in her baby bed, but she objected.

"Big bed. Daddy bed," she said. "Daddy come to bed with Dana."

"Who could resist such an invitation from such a beautiful lady," Leon commented dryly. "Turn around. Both."

D bit his lip and tried to suppress his laughter. As bad as the situation was between Leon and him, this was just so absurd he had to tell himself firmly not to laugh and still felt the giggle bubble up in his throat.

"Are you done, Detective?" he asked, not daring to turn. Dana was peeking over his shoulder curiously.

"Daddy all red," she announced, and this time, D started giggling helplessly.

"Stop that, D! Tell her it's not polite to watch someone undressing!"

"Dana, look away, your father is shy," the kami told the child and had another giggling fit. It dissolved, though, a moment later. Leon came around and lay down on the bed, patting the mattress besides him.

"Now you can come here, Dana," he said. D put the girl down, expecting her to let go of him.

She didn't. "Bàbà bed, too!"

The giggling stopped. In exchange, Leon started laughing. "Caught in your own net, D!" he crowed. "Now don't fuss around, get into bed. The little lady wants it this way. C'mon, what's the big deal? You were the one who just suggested we could both sleep in the bed."

"I didn't think you'd actually do it!" the kami snapped. Leon shook his head.

"No, no, no, D. Be true to your word. It's a big bed, and there's a baby between us. If you promise me now that you won't start anything fishy, I see no reason why we shouldn't both sleep here."

"Not five minutes ago you told me there was no way in the world you'd ever sleep in one bed with me again," D protested. Leon raised an eyebrow. So they'd been in the bed after all. Good to know.

Dana yawned. "Bàbà bed. Now."

D sighed and caved in. "Close your eyes or turn around!" he ordered. Leon did as he was told. Quickly D loosened the frogs of his cheongsam and hung the garment over the rim of Dana's baby bed. The girl watched him with satisfaction. D slipped under the cover and instantly drew it up as high as possible.

Leon cracked open one eye. "You're done?" he asked and reached for the light.

"Yes," D answered, feeling his face heat up. Dana snuggled against him.

"Okay then. Good night."

The bedroom went black.

"Story!"

A groan from Leon's direction. "Did anyone ever tell you that you're a nuisance sometimes, kiddy?"

"Don't you dare insult your own child!"

"I'm not insulting her! It's just true!"

"Story, Daddy!"

"Yeah, yeah, alright! Which one do you want to hear?"

"Little bear and his friends."

Two groans. "Not that one again. Why did have to buy that stupid book, Detective?"

"Hey, I couldn't know she'd fall in love with it, could I?"

"Little bear and his friends!"

The thump was probably D's head meeting the cushion. Leon felt it move under his own head. "Alright, alright. It is a sunny day. The little bear wants to play with his friends. At first, he goes to the little rabbit. "Hello little rabbit, do you want to play with me?" he asks. The little rabbit says: "Yes, I would like to play with you. But I promised the little snake I would play with her." The little bear and the little rabbit go to the little snake together. "Hello little snake," says the little bear. "Do you want to play with us?"

"I find it rather absurd that a rabbit would want to play with a snake."

"Shut up, D. The little snake is delighted. "But I want to play with the little fox, too," she says. So all three go to the little fox. "Hello little fox," says the little bear. "Would you like to play with us?"

"And no rabbit in its right mind would want to play with a fox, either."

"D, shut up now! I know the book's not realistic. It's a children's book, for heaven's sake. "Yes," says the little fox, "but I want to play with the little butterfly, too."

"Butterfly pretty!"

"Yeah, honey, as pretty as you are."

"I am not the one spoiling her…"

"D, shut up! Dana'll never go to sleep if you keep interrupting the story the whole time."

"And why is every animal in there little? It's simply silly."

"Because it's a children's book, for the thousandth time. And kids are little, too, aren't you, little missy?"

"Kate big."

"Who's Kate?"

"A bear, Detective."

"I never saw a bear in the shop."

"Fortunately."

"Wait a moment, do you really have a bear in there? You let _my kid _play with a _bear_?"

"I also let your child play with a three-headed dragon, in case you never noticed."

"Daddy, story!"

"Yeah, yeah. D, we're going to talk about that. Where were we?"

"You were at the point where the fox tells everyone he wants to play with a butterfly even though it is much more likely that he would try to eat the butterfly or at least catch it."

"You know, no wonder she keeps having nightmares if that's what you tell her as bedtime story. Now be quiet. So they all go to the little butterfly. He's sitting on a flower. "Hello little butterfly", says the little bear, "do you want to play with us?" "Yes," says the little butterfly, "but I want to play with the little cat, too."

"Did you know that foxes also eat cats? But I think the bear would eat everybody else before they can eat each other…"

"D, would you shut up now?! I get you don't like the book, but it's just a _story_. You know, like, it's not realistic because it's _intended_ to be unrealistic."

"Children's books should prepare the children for the world and not cloud their perception of it."

"If you're unhappy with them, write one yourself. But I doubt anyone would buy it if all the little fluffy animals start killing and eating each other."

"But that's the way it works in nature. Everything else is just human imagination."

Leon let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, D, I know. But it's a nice story and Dana likes it and wants to hear it so she can go to sleep. So would you please let me finish it now?"

D was silent for moment. Then his voice drifted through the darkness again. "I don't think that will be necessary, Detective. Dana is already asleep."

"What?"

The blonde scooted closer and felt around. D's arm was wrapped around the unmoving child. A chill thrilled his spine when he touched the bare skin. Was D sleeping only in his leggings like he'd done last time when he'd stayed at Leon's apartment?

"Huh. You're right," he said and tried to sound casual. "Well then, I guess that's good. I don't know how she can go to sleep while you're talking about animals eating up each other, but if she can do that, fine with me."

"It is certainly surprising she can go to sleep while _we_ are talking," the kami allowed. He did not draw his arm away. "We should try to sleep now, too. Good night, Detective."

"Night, D."

Leon rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling although it was too dark for him to actually see the spot where his poster had been. Then he scooted closer, until he felt Dana's small body right beside him, and turned onto his left side again. Now she was lying between her fathers' chests.

He searched for words, knowing D was as wide awake as he was, but could not find them. He wanted to talk to the kami, wanted to know what was going on here at the moment. But probably D didn't know that himself. It was just – how could they lie in bed together so peacefully when there were still so many unanswered questions and problems between them?

"Are you still awake, Detective?"

D's voice broke the silence. Dana sighed and snuggled closer to Leon, tugging D's hand with her. Now it rested right over Leon's heart, held in place by the girl's body. It was warm and smooth against his skin and he swallowed hard. "Yeah."

Again silence lasted in the room. Apparently D couldn't summon the courage to talk, either. Then he heard a soft sigh from the kami. "Nothing. Sleep well."

Almost unwillingly Leon grinned. "Yeah, you too."

"Thank you."

Silence.

"Hey, if you can't go to sleep, I can tell you a bedtime story, too. What about the story of the little, cuddly, fluffy raccoon that wanted to play with the big, mean, beasty sheep-tiger?"

"Detective?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and sleep."

* * *

A/N: And what do we learn from this chapter? …  
Right, I suck at writing children's books. Forgive me, and please promise that you'll never, ever tell that story to any kid. Especially not with D's comments. If you do, I'm not to be held responsible for resulting emotional traumas.

And yes, I know. They're taking so much time making up their minds. But - and if you want to count, feel free to do so - the story now spans five weeks. That's not much, guys, really not. Not held against everything they have to work out with each other. And before you stop reading this because you're afraid nothing's ever gonna change, I'll tell you that personally I think now they've both made up their minds ;-P (meaning: hurry up with the popcorn, BC!)

Originally this chapter wasn't going to be online before the eighth, but... well, I felt so cruel keeping it back when you're writing so many reviews... (Deathbride, that's a big hint ;-)

So long, Enaty


	16. Sell me a dream

**Sell me a dream**

The weekend passed, as did the week. If someone would've asked D, he couldn't have said what happened during that week. All of his attention was set on keeping the unstable balance he and Leon had installed again. It was dancing on the edge of a knife. Neither knew how to behave for fear of causing a catastrophe.

The week, though, helped D to finally understand why Dana was having nightmares so often lately. The girl felt the tension between her fathers. She remembered what had happened in Japan and consequently was afraid that the fight might escalate. It pained D to see his child tortured by this fear. He tried to explain to Dana that no matter how much he and Leon fought, they both loved her and would not leave her. But the girl was yet too young to realise why she was afraid, and also to understand D's helpless explanations. She just felt something was wrong and reacted instinctively.

But he could not end the truce. Not yet. He had to rethink so many things, he needed more time. For the first time in his life, D really tried to sum up all the things that had once defined him and those that now defined him.

At first, there was of course the fact that he was not human. But what did this mean for him? His species could talk to animals, was sworn to protect them and nature. It was not something they were taught by their parents, but an urge they felt from the moment they took their first breath, perhaps even before. They were more related to earth than to humans, thus the difficulties of getting children with the human species even though nature had mischievously made them similar enough provide the possibility.

However, killing humans had never been part of the deal until their race got nearly erased. Only from then on had they been raised to do so, grandfather, father, every kami before D.

But what about his own child? Could he teach the girl to kill the species she shared half of her being with?

If he was sure of one thing, then it was that he loved his child more than anything in the world. He wanted to protect her, wished her to grow up happily. He was able to love although Leon often thought him to be as cold as ice. But that was not true. D didn't love many beings, apart from his pets, but he did love Leon, Chris and Dana. He also loved grandfather and father. Once, his species had loved every being that earth gave birth to. Five were not many, but it was a start. He could not teach Dana to love humans. But he couldn't teach her to kill them either. How could he tell her that humans were evil when her own father was human, when she was supposed to love him? When D _wanted_ his child to love her father?

But he himself… what did _he_ want?

Sitting again besides Dana's cradle in the night, D stared into the darkness unseeingly. The past was the past. The future was the future. And the past was history, long gone. What was now had resulted out of the past, but that did not mean it had to determine the here and now. So why was he still holding on to his oath of revenge? He'd not witnessed the slaughter of his kin, had only been told the stories. But still, he avenged the animals and his ancestors on humans every day, thus hurting the one human he truly loved. Betraying his child, who shared half of her being with the species he was expected to hate.

Was it not time to let the past rest in peace? Was it not time to finally look into the future? A future he actually _had_, in spite of the past? Should he give up his chance for happiness for the sake of long-dead?

D clenched his hand around the rim of the cradle. Dana softly sighed in her sleep and turned around. He extended a hand and brushed away a strand of dark brown hair, face growing soft with love. As much as he wished to protect his own child, he wished to protect those who'd been trusted into his care. They were as helpless as Dana in this new, human-dominated world. They had no protector, no advocate amongst the humans if not him.

And they would not loose him as their protector. Not even if that meant that he would have to forswear Leon's love forever. It was more than his duty, more than what he'd been raised for. He felt their pain, their hatred, their fear as if it was his own. He, too, was one of earth's children. The humans had long since forgotten their origins. But he would not. He would not betray his very being. He _could_ not, no more than Leon could give up being an idealist, or being Chris's brother. The essence of D's being was the law of nature. It was cruel, yes, but it was just. He would not expect Dana or Leon to follow it, too. They were free to choose their own path in life. All he hoped for was acceptance.

But would Leon accept D?

The child moved again, closing her little fist around D's fingers. He stared at them, noticed once again the painful absence of his claw-like fingernails. He'd sacrificed them for the sake of his child, had sacrificed some of his weapons because he feared to hurt her with them. If he wanted Leon to accept him, he would have to accept the human in return. Was he able to accept Leon the way he was? Had he ever really accepted the human?

Deep in his heart, D knew the answer. He had not. He'd fought with Leon to mask the fear this particular human evoked in his heart. He'd teased and mocked him to mask the frightening love he felt for the detective. He'd told himself that there was nothing wrong with passing the time with Leon to make himself believe he didn't yearn for the presence of his lion whenever he wasn't in the shop, and scolded Leon to make him believe D didn't need him being there.

But he wouldn't get any further with those lies. Leon demanded the truth, and D was tired of lying and hiding. If there was any chance that he could find the tiniest bit of happiness for any amount of time, he wanted to find it. He wanted to take his chance at changing the future.

Still – would he have the courage to do so? Could he, who sold love and dreams, acquire them himself?

* * *

Leon leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling in the precinct. Jill looked up from her report and scrutinized him. "You okay?" she asked. Her friend sighed.

"Yeah, I guess," he replied. "Just thinking."

"Then you can't be okay," she concluded and smirked when he glared at her.

"Oh, be quiet," he growled. She watched him another moment, but then turned back to her computer screen. He'd talk if he wanted to talk.

Leon continued gazing at the ceiling. Not surprisingly, it was the last weekend that was on his mind. Or better, Saturday night and Sunday morning. He recalled Dana sitting at his kitchen table, happily munching cereals, while D crept around, looking every bit as tired as he probably was. The kami truly wasn't a morning person. But still, he'd not reprimanded them when Leon and Dana had woken synchronously at dawn and started to play with each other. At first the blonde had wanted to leave the bed, but Dana refused to be carried outside where they wouldn't disturb D.

So they'd stayed in there, Leon tickling the girl and she squealing with delight. Not surprisingly, D had woken pretty soon, too, but all he did was prop his head up on his hand and watch them, a soft smile on his face.

And that was exactly what was bothering Leon. That smile D had worn. He'd looked so sad in spite of the smile, and so alone. Perhaps… perhaps he'd been wrong, too. The kami was not an easy person, but no one in his right mind could call Leon easy either. Sure, his character was simple, which was probably why he so often had problems grasping what was going on in D's complicated mind. But still, there were few who could really endure Leon for an extended period of time.

D was one of them.

D was also the mother of his child.

And D was in love with Leon. There could be no possible doubt about that anymore. And Leon, damn it to hell, was in love with the guy also. Even if he was a sick bastard sometimes, even if he had betrayed Leon, even if he was not human. He couldn't help it. It wasn't as if one got to decide such things. In this case, the blonde was pretty sure, there wouldn't be a small girl called Dana in the pet shop.

Sure, no one could guarantee it would work out. But if one didn't even try, one would never know.

There was only one thing that was truly heavy on his mind. And he would have to work that out with D. It depended on the kami if there would be a try.

* * *

D knew from the moment on the blonde stepped inside the shop that today the truce ended. He knew the determined set of Leon's chin, and the look in those blue eyes. Actually, their daughter looked just like that, too, when she had set her mind on something and wanted to accomplish it. Although learning to walk, as earth-shaking an event that was, was surely not going to bring as much chaos as what Leon was up to.

But the blonde kindly gave D time to prepare for what was about to happen. He had had the night-shift and so he could stay after he had laid Dana down for her midday nap. Then he sat on the sofa, drank too sweet tea without complaining and avoided D's eyes. The silence once again lasted heavily on the front room.

D was glad when Leon spoke up. Though he had known this subject was far from being closed, he would gladly have pushed it away. But now he was forced to discuss it, whether he liked it or not. Now was as good a time as anytime. And he had done some thinking on his own during the past week.

"Listen, D, I know that you can't change what you are. And it's not that – it's just the fact what you do." His voice was so silent the kami had to strain to hear him.

"But you shoot and kill people, too," D said quietly. The blonde threaded his hand through his hair, causing D's heart to stop for a second. The gesture, so familiar, so beloved…

"I know. I _know_, D. But I don't like it at all. I – you know how I get afterwards, every time. And it's just – I want Dana to have at least one parent who doesn't kill others."

His blue eyes locked on D's. The kami sat down and laid a hand on Leon's shoulder. "You're an idealist, Detective," he said fondly. "Do not worry about Dana. She is, after all, the daughter of an earth spirit. She understands Nature far better than you think, and she is well aware of its rules."

"How do you know?" the blonde asked and simply looked at D with wide, blue eyes. Dana's eyes. "She's barely two years old. How do you know she understands?"

D considered the question. It was true, he couldn't be sure. But he remembered his own childhood very well. "Children have an instinctive understanding of such simple rules. Only when they grow do their parents teach them compassion and mercy. But left to themselves, they would act according to their animal survival instincts," he told Leon. His hand wandered into his blonde open hair. Leon didn't seem to notice. The kami stopped and took a good look at his face.

"Leon, please tell me, is it really I and my purpose that is bothering you?" he asked carefully. "I – admit I may have been raised to take revenge on and erase humanity, but – since Dana arrived – I have been – thinking. I do still feel that I have to punish humans, and I will. However, I will not raise Dana to continue this path, I promise you this."

Leon glanced at him and he noticed surprise and relief in those blue eyes, but there also remained sadness. D continued timidly, not sure if he was guessing right and afraid he might be overstepping. "Or do you still think it's you who is wrong? Do you think you should not raise a child when you have to kill others in the line of duty?"

There was no answer. Leon's head dropped onto his chest and D knew he was right. Gently he stroked Leon's back, daring what he only had dreamt of until now. "Leon, you need not worry about that. It is your job, your duty, not something you do for fun or out of greed. You are a good father. Please do not think otherwise."

"I can't tell my kid it's wrong to kill others if I do it." Leon's voice was thick. He rested his face in his hands and groaned. "How could I? It's hypocritical."

"No, it is not," D answered firmly. "You only kill to protect. It is perfectly natural. Every animal kills to protect its young. You kill to protect the innocent, even though they're not your offspring. It is honourable."

"Killing never is honourable," Leon mumbled into his hands. "It just never is. Someone's always mourning for the dead, whether they were bad guys or not. Can't you understand that I just want Dana to have someone whom she can look up to? Someone who can teach her what's right and what's wrong?"

D chuckled without amusement. "If so, you are surely better suited for that purpose, Detective. You are an idealist, and a far better father than I am. I entertain no illusions about me and humans. I cannot give Dana dreams. But you can. You dare to dream of a better world, you dare to believe in it. You are able to see your daughter as a new beginning, as a new hope. I am –" he stopped, withdrew his hand and stood up.

"I would not let you take care of Dana if I wasn't convinced you are able to do it good," he said firmly. "Please keep that in mind."

The blonde raised his head and watched the kami preparing another pot of tea. "Don't you think she's hope, too?" he asked, and D, with his back to him, shrugged.

"I do not know, Detective. All I know is that she is my child and I have to care for her, because I am her father," he answered, trying to sound casual. As if he wasn't baring some part of his soul to the human right now, when he was deadly afraid he might never want to see him again.

Leon stood, D heard his clothes rustle. Then arms were wrapped around his waist. Suddenly there was no more air in his lungs.

"What do I have to do to convince you she might be a new beginning?" Leon whispered into his ear. "What must I do to let you dream, seller of love and dreams? Don't you think that – perhaps – _we_ could be a new beginning?"

D swallowed hard, twice. The he managed a few words. "Perhaps we could be a new beginning," he whispered back. "But you will have to accept what I do. What I _am_. There are so many people out there who deserve to be punished… who the human law could never punish… I cannot give it up. I _need_ to protect those who have been given into my care. It is all I am."

"Would you just promise me to try and not kill them?" Leon asked. "I mean, what you did to that woman – it's far more punishment than simply killing her would've been. And I don't want anyone to reach the same conclusions I reached. I don't want you to end up in prison. What would become of Dana and me then? Of the shop? Of your pets?"

D turned in Leon's arms and cradled his slightly stubbly cheek in his hands. "Don't you think it's more cruel to let them live? With their injuries, their memories?" His mismatched eyes searched the blonde's face.

"Yeah, I guess it is. But still –" Leon shrugged. "They will still be alive. They can do it better next time."

A smile slowly spread on D's face. "If you ask it, I will," he said softly. "I will dare to dream, for once."

Their eyes held each other, and suddenly D saw something in this blue he had never before seen, or he thought he'd never before seen directed at him. His mouth went dry, and he tilted his head up more. Leon lowered his head, and then it felt like D's heart would stop beating now any second. His lips brushed over Leon's, ever so slightly. All he could do was keep standing upright.

Then he realised it wouldn't matter if his knees buckled, because Leon was holding him in his arms, and he was pressing him close, and his body was flush with the detective's. Shyly he reached up more, and then they were kissing. Really, truly kissing.

The sensation nearly undid D. He couldn't breathe anymore, his heart was pounding so fast he was sure Leon must feel it through the layers of clothing, but it didn't really matter, because the blonde's heart was beating fast, too, D felt it on his chest, and they were still kissing, kissing each other, softly, gently…

"DADDY!"

Dana's cry made them jump apart. For a moment they looked at each other, horrified, then broke into a full run to reach their daughter as fast as possible. By the time they got to her room, she was sitting on the floor, sobbing loudly. Leon scooped her up and carefully examined her for injuries. "What's the matter, sweetie?" he demanded, worried. "What did you do?"

"She tried to climb out of the cradle and fell down!" Pon-chan hopped around them, looking guilty and afraid. "I swear, Count, I didn't see it coming, it all happened so quickly, and she was on the floor before I could even take a breath!"

T-chan stormed inside, too, and nudged the crying child soothingly. "Dana-chan, don't cry!" he pleaded. "You can ride on my back, okay? Will you stop crying then?"

D took the time to look her over very closely while Leon cradled her. Finally he straightened again and sighed. "She's not hurt. It's just the shock of falling down," he said relieved. "I think it is time to get her a normal bed."

Leon smiled. "D'you hear that, sweetie? You're gonna get a real bed, a bed for big girls. Isn't that good news, huh?"

Dana hiccoughed. "Dana big girl," she sniffed. D nodded firmly.

"Yes, you are a big girl, Dana. That is why you are going to get a real bed. Now let me change your clothes and then you can go play with Pon-chan and T-chan."

He took her from Leon's arms and carried her over to the changing table, starting to undress her. Leon rummaged around in the closet and produced one of the dresses he had bought for her, blue with small red flowers on it. Dana lightened up seeing it. She liked the dress.

"Daddy!" she said and clapped her hands. The blonde grinned down on her. "You're gonna be the prettiest girl in whole Chinatown," he promised her. "Why don't we go to the park? It's still early."

D smiled at him, a bright, happy smile. "That's a very good idea, Leon," he said softly. And for some reason, Leon felt as if he'd just grown an inch or so. Perhaps they could work it out all the same. They just had to try.

* * *

A/N: So, here we go *takes a deep breath* Took them long enough to get together (and costed me even more nerves -.- No, really, it did. Do you know that when I wrote the fight about the "let's kill all humans"-problem I really thought I'd never get them to speak one word with each other again? I really, really had a lot of problems with that part.)

Well, anyway, I hope you're all happy now ^^ (For those of you who started screaming "Sappy! Fluff! Help me, I'm drowning in it!", I fully sympathize. No, truly, I do. Tell me what I could've done better, please.)

So long, Enaty

P.S. Summer?! Where in hell do you live, BC?! We've got -23° Celsius and lots of snow outside! o.O


	17. Old fears

**Old fears**

"Leon, I do not at all understand what your point is! You managed last time I left Dana with you," D said icily and continued to stride into the precinct, Dana sitting on his hip and waving gleefully to the surrounding officers. Leon was walking beside them, trying to talk D out of it. The kami was so busy being angry at the human that he didn't notice the strange glances he was rewarded with.

"D, I told you! This is the plaza, not a kindergarten where you can drop Dana at every given opportunity!"

"I am not dropping her here at any given opportunity, this is only the third time, and if I may remind you, you are her father!" D snapped, rounded the corner to Leon's desk and firmly placed his daughter there. "Dana, be a good girl and behave, I will be back in two hours and then we will go to the park," he told the girl in a much softer voice than that which he used with Leon.

Who, as it happened, was fuming behind him. "D. This. Is. The. Plaza. It's not a good place for Dana. She's frigg- only 23 months old! Kids that small aren't supposed to be in police plazas. There're a lot of things around here which aren't good for her, revolvers and bad guys and photos of corpses and such. Please, please, please find another place for her!" he begged.

D straightened and faced Leon, placing one of his hands on his lion's. The blonde looked down on their intertwined fingers with a strange expression on his face.

"Please, Leon. I do not want to leave her alone at the shop, can't you understand that? And I can't take her with me to that customer of mine, either. He's a very dangerous man. She's much safer here with you," the kami said silently.

Leon sighed. "D, I don't want Dana to have too much to do with my work. She's a baby, she's far too young to understand. Chris didn't understand, and he's much older than she is."

D smiled and pressed his hand. "I trust you and Miss Jill that Dana won't even realise what you are doing," he said confidently. "Though I have to admit, the last time she was here, she picked up quite some strange words…" he added, wrinkling his brow a little. Leon choked and coughed.

"Oh, that's – our pathologist stopped by and explained something to me," he hastened to explain. D's expression cleared and he smiled again.

"I see. Well, then goodbye, Leon. I will be back as soon as possible."

He hugged Dana a last time, already busy with examining the little plastic bags on Leon's desk and quite distracted and left with a last bright smile for the human.

The blonde slumped down in his seat and stared at Dana glumly. "Oh sweetie, perhaps we should've told your bàbà what happened last time he left you here," he said to the girl. She stopped examining a gun bullet in a plastic bag and looked at Leon with bright blue eyes. The golden dots sparkled mysteriously.

"Dana swear not tell," she said. He tried to grin.

"I know, honey. You're a good girl, and D would go postal if he found out I left you with Jill. And what happened after I left you with Jill. She's not even here today, so what am I to do if I've gotta go?"

"Amélie teach Dana bones," the girl answered and Leon's brow wrinkled for a moment until he remembered that Barf's real name was Amélie.

"Yeah, right, she did that. That was nice of her, wasn't it? But still, the pathology lab isn't a place for small kids like you either." He sighed desperately and threaded a hand through his hair. "Great. If I get a call, I'll have to take you with me. God, I really hope Gavin's smart enough to stay out of sight in case his attacker decides to finish his job."

He took the bullet from Dana and instead handed her the Rubik's cube sitting on his desk. "Here, there you go. Play with that instead, bullets are proof and nothing to play with. See, you can turn it around and then the patterns change."

Dana was intrigued and fell silent. Leon replaced her onto his lap and switched his computer on, starting with the testimony Gavin had made when he finally found his speech again. Not that it was useful in any way. The attacker had been masked, and all Gavin could say for sure was that he had been shorter than him. That could be a hint that the attacker had been female, but considering that Gavin was pretty tall, even for a guy, it could as well have been a small guy.

As to why he had shot Gavin in the first place, the man had no idea, at least he claimed he had none. Leon would've guessed revenge for Laura, but his gut told him that this was something else. Gavin had been shot at such a short distance that he _had_ to have noticed more about his attacker, but he wouldn't tell it. In Leon's experience that usually meant that he knew him and didn't want to give him away. And even someone who wasn't used to handling a gun couldn't aim so bad that he fired four times at a distance of three feet and just got one bullet into Gavin. In Gavin's leg, to top it. The guy hadn't wanted to kill him, he had wanted to scare or punish him.

Anyway, how could he sneak up on Gavin until he was only three feet away without him noticing?! He might be a braggart, but he wasn't dumb. And he'd been on his guard because he knew the police was after him because of Laura.

Leon rubbed his head tiredly and stared at the flickering computer screen. Perhaps he should get himself a cup of coffee. Yeah, that would help for sure.

"Dana, stay here and don't touch anything, okay?" he told his daughter and left her on his chair, still busy with the Rubik's cube. He grinned at the sight, stopping for a second to look back at the child. His heart swelled with pride. His daughter. She was his daughter.

Whistling a little, he pried himself loose of the sight and went to the coffee machine. It was broken as usual, and Leon swore. Now he had to go to the other floor to get a cup of coffee. But well, what should happen to Dana? Everyone around here knew who she was. No one would dare to hurt her.

* * *

Or so he'd thought. Because when he rounded the corner to his desk again, the chair was empty. "Dana?" Leon asked, placed the coffee cup on his table and looked around. But she was nowhere in sight. Worry took hold of him. "Dana, sweetie, don't play hide and seek with me now. Come out," he pledged. Silence.

The blonde stormed out, causing his colleagues to look up in surprise. It was early afternoon, the precinct was pretty empty at this time of day, most people were out making inquiries. "Has anyone seen Dana?" he asked and got questioning faces and shaking heads.

"Have you lost her again?" Christian teased, but shut up when Leon's face got even more worried.

"Dammit, I knew he should take her somewhere else!" he muttered under his breath. "Where can she be? I was only gone five minutes!"

"We'll help you look for her," his colleague offered and pushed back his chair. The others stood, too, and together they searched the whole floor, asking everyone passing by if he'd seen a small girl with brown hair and blue eyes. When they had no success, someone suggested Dana might have slipped into one of the elevators and ended up on another floor. So they parted and started to search the whole plaza, upsetting quite a few people. Leon grew ever more worried with every second. Jessica tried to calm him down, with little to no success.

"Don't worry, Leon, I'm sure she's alright. Perhaps she went down to Barf again, she seemed to like her last time," she said, only fuelling Leon's fear up again.

"Just great, she'll probably come across Barf while she's cutting up some corpse, with all the luck I'm having." And with that, he took off to the basement to make sure his daughter would not see open corpses.

He returned about seven minutes later with Barf in tow, who was quite worried herself. "I haven't seen her since last time," she said and chewed her lip. "Oh dear, Leon, what will the Count say when he comes back?"

The blonde paled. "Fuck, I haven't thought about D yet. Shit!" he swore. "Dammit, where can she be?! The plaza's not that big, she's gotta be somewhere around! I mean, she's a two-year-old kid! She has to stick out here!"

"What if one of the visitors took her out?" a young woman asked. Leon looked like being close to a heart attack and Barf quickly put a hand on his arm.

"I'm sure no one has done that. The guys at the entrance would have stopped them," she said sharply. "Let's get going, Leon. She probably just crawled into one of the cupboards and fell asleep there. Kids do such things, you know." She wanted to drag Leon away, but a baffled voice from behind stopped her.

"What are you all doing here?" D asked nonplussed and looked at the officers going around, bending down to look under tables, looking behind cupboards and opening doors with almost feverish activity. Leon turned, slowly, with the face of a man being led to the shambles.

"Hi D," he got out and then silenced. The kami took a good look at him and understood. His face froze into a cold mask.

"Where is Dana?" he asked, voice deadly silent. Leon shrugged helplessly.

"I don't know, D. I just got myself a cup of coffee, and then suddenly she was gone."

Silence was never good. Not when D went this deadly-silent. His face was unreadable, the mask firmly in place. Leon shrunk and looked at the floor.

"Where is my daughter?"

D's voice sounded as if he was close to shrieking in terror. Leon gulped.

"I don't know, D."

"You don't know."

"Yes."

"You _don't know_."

"Yeah, I said that already!" the blonde snapped and finally looked up again at the kami. "Quit it, okay?! I fucking don't know where she is, and I'm fucking worried, too, okay?!"

If Leon had ever thought D's face was a mask, the expression now on it topped every mask he'd ever worn in his life.

"You have lost your own child," he said, voice dead. The memory of Japan, of the way D had freaked out back then surfaced in Leon's mind and he swallowed hard again.

"Look, D, I was just gone five minutes. She probably walked around, crawled into a cupboard and fell asleep. We're already looking for her. We're going to find her."

He noticed his voice was pleading and scolded himself for that. Dana had to be around. She just had to.

This time it was fury that crept up in those mismatched eyes. For a split second Leon wondered what D was going to do now – if he would start screaming, or if he would hit Leon (and he would've let D hit him with no sound of protest), or what.

But what happened instead was that a door somewhere behind his back opened and a familiar voice asked: "What the hell is the matter here? Why are you not working?"

D's mask shattered all of a sudden. "Dana!" he gasped, the tension easing with one simple word. "Darling!"

The blonde turned around just in time to see the kami hurry to the chief and take the child he was carrying, hugging her tight to his chest. "Oh my darling," he whispered. The chief looked truly confused.

"Leon, your daughter was trashing your desk. I thought I'd have a little talk with her while you were getting coffee or doing copies or why ever you left her alone."

Barf besides Leon took a deep breath. Someone giggled. And suddenly everybody burst into laughter, with the exception of Leon and D. The latter was still busy whispering something to his child and the first was watching the kami. Something was wrong here, he could feel it. Why had D freaked out so much? Was it just because of Japan? Or was there more to this, something Leon didn't know yet?

Christian clapped Leon's back and the younger detective gasped with the sudden impact. "Well, buddy, as a father you've still got a lot to learn," he laughed. "Perhaps you should fasten a leash on your kid so that you won't loose her all the time!"

"Christian, shut up!" the blonde hissed, but D's sharp ears had caught the remark. Violet and gold glared at the human.

"What do you mean, _again_?" he asked sharply.

That was enough. Leon grabbed his kami by the arm and dragged him off to his cubicle, stubbornly ignoring the comments from his colleagues. Barf followed for some reason, but kept silent at first when they reached a quiet corner and Leon started to explain.

"Listen, D, that was just nonsense what Christian said. I've not _lost_ Dana _again_. What he meant is that last time she was here, I had to go out and leave her with Jill. Jill then got work, too, and trusted another colleague with her. Since we're all here to work and not to baby-sit, Dana had a nice afternoon getting to know my colleagues and the precinct. End of story. She's still alive and she's not traumatized. So."

He crossed his arms and glared defensively. D's lips were a tight white line. "We are going to talk about that, Detective," he said stiffly, obviously aware of the young woman standing nearby. "However, there are some other questions I'd like to have an answer to. For example, why the nice man at the entrance knew I'd be here to pick up my child. Or why everyone keeps sending me such strange glances when I walk by. Don't think I don't notice the difference to how they usually look at me!"

Okay, so the usual comment about D dressing up like that wasn't going to work. But Leon hadn't expected it to work anyway.

He was searching for an answer when Barf rescued him.

"They're just curious, Count," she explained, trying to ease the tension by being calm and neutral. "After all, everyone thought you were a man. It's natural that they now are wondering how you manage to disguise your secondary sexual characteristics."

"Excuse me?" D inquired, glaring daggers. "Did you just say that some police officers are thinking about how I look _without my clothes_?!"

Barf snorted. "I think there's no possible doubt that roughly _every_ guy in this precinct is at the moment busy imagining what you are hiding under your clothes," she said matter-of-factly.

D blushed furiously and kept on glaring. "What?"

Her hazel eyes were curious behind her glasses when she looked at him. "If I might ask, why did you choose to identify yourself as a male?" she asked. Leon looked positively horrified, while the kami managed – thanks to long experience – to keep his face straight. The only hint that he was completely caught off-guard was his voice when he spoke again.

"Why I chose to identify myself as a male?" he echoed.

Barf nodded. "Yeah. As a female hermaphrodite you are basically a woman, even if you look more male."

"I – I," D stammered and sent Leon a glance so murderous that the blonde felt positive he would drop dead to the floor any second.

"It – I had various personal reasons," the kami finished and tore his burning gaze off the blonde. Leon, being guilty of everything and knowing it, felt like he had to rescue him and cut in.

"Barf, I'm sorry, but we've got to go. Dana's gotta get her dinner and all," he said and gently steered D towards the door. The Chinese looked still sort of calm, but Leon doubted he would stay like that for long. He only hoped he would wait until Dana was out of hearing range until he started screaming.

"You're already leaving?" Leon's colleagues looked very disappointed.

"Yeah, we are. Little kids have to go to bed early," he gritted through his teeth and draped an arm around D's shoulders, not only because he wanted to make sure he came along, but also because he didn't like the glances the kami was rewarded with. He was a guy himself. He knew when other guys were secretly undressing someone, and they were doing it with D right now. He didn't like it at all.

"Bye, guys," he said and nudged D through the door. Barf followed them into the garage and handed Leon Dana's toys after he had placed the girl in her seat. She looked like she was about to fall asleep the moment he started to drive and he got her shoes off. It would be much more comfortable for her.

Dana reached for him sleepily. "Daddy," she mumbled and Leon bent inside.

"Yes, what is it, honey?"

"Not fight with Bàbà," she sniffed.

"Don't worry, sweetie. We're not going to fight," he murmured and stroked her hair. "Go to sleep, huh? We'll be home soon."

D was quietly talking to Barf. The young woman was flushed, but she answered calmly. Leon straightened and sent a glance at the kami. "Hey D, you're coming? Dana's asleep on her feet, I'd like to get her into bed as soon as possible."

The kami sent him a strange glance. "I am coming. Goodbye, Miss Lefebre."

"Goodbye, Count. See ya, Leon," Barf smiled and returned to the elevator while D got into the car. Leon started the engine and drove off. Uncomfortable silence settled. He didn't dare turn on the radio like he usually did. Dana made no sound either, and D was pointedly staring out the front window.

Leon sighed inwardly. That was why he hadn't wanted Dana at the precinct. It just was no place for little children.

* * *

D didn't say anything when they arrived back at the shop. He took the sleeping child out of her seat, carried her to the bedroom, dressed her in her pyjamas and laid her down, Leon all the time idling around behind him, not knowing what to do. Only when the kami was convinced that Dana was fast asleep and wouldn't wake anytime soon, he turned and strode to the front room, still not even glancing at Leon. The blonde sent a last glance at the kid and sighed. He'd promised Dana they wouldn't fight, but he saw no real alternative. D was going to have his head for everything at the precinct.

Once they arrived in the parlour, D whirled round and attacked Leon, mismatched eyes blazing with fury. "How _dare_ you tell everybody at the plaza I am not a man, but a woman?!" he hissed and looked like he was about to hit Leon. He took a step backwards.

"I didn't! I just told them you're Dana's mom, nothing else!"

"Are you completely crazy?! You _told_ the whole precinct that I am Dana's mother?!" D screamed, his pale cheeks taking on red colour. Leon glared back.

"What was I supposed to do, funny? You appear, drop a kid on me that just _happens_ to have my eyes and your looks and think in a building full of police officers no one is going to suspect anything?!"

"It was your job to make no one get suspicious!" D snapped. His fist met the back of his chair.

"If you don't want anyone to get suspicious about Dana, then you've gotta keep her hidden in this fucking shop, because otherwise someone will always get the right idea!" Leon answered angrily. "Besides, I don't see why you're freaking. Okay, everybody thinks you're a woman underneath your dresses, but what the fuck? Everybody was mistaking you for a woman anyway!"

D's eyes narrowed until they were barely slits. "You impertinent stupid! How can you tell them I am a woman?! I am _not_ a woman! I am both!"

"Yeah, but unfortunately, real human hermaphrodites aren't able to get children," the human gave back hotly. "Be glad Barf talked everybody into believing you're a woman!"

"I am not the one who should be grateful for that intelligent young woman!" the kami jeered. "You were stupid enough to let slip I gave birth to the child!"

"Yeah, now it's all my fault again, is it? Who was the one that brought her to the plaza in the first place? It wasn't me, I _told_ you it's a bad idea!"

"And I am sorry I ever did it! I should've known you cannot protect her!"

The words cut deep into Leon's heart. He roared with fury. "I can protect her, damn you! No one will get suspicious as long as you don't start telling anyone that you're not a real woman! They'll just think you're cross-dressing, that's all, and no one will care. Fuck, there are thousands of cross-dressers of every gender here in L.A.! Why should they think you're any different to them?!"

"That is not the point here!" D screamed. "The point is that you endangered Dana!"

"I did not! How the fuck should I have endangered her?! Okay, it's gonna need some pretty good explanations, but nothing we can't take care of. If worst comes to worst, you can still use those magical powers of yours."

"It's dangerous!" D was going real crazy now. "She isn't human, she's a hybrid! They will take her to the scientists, they will examine her and do all kinds of horrible things to her, don't you understand that?! It's dangerous!"

He turned away, staring at the wall. Leon glared. "C'mon, D, cool down. It's not easy, but what are you gonna do? Lock her up in the shop so that nothing can happen to her? That's just cruel! She's a kid, and she needs to meet other people!"

A strange sound reached Leon's ears, and D's shoulders hunched oddly. The blonde hesitated and looked more closely.

Then he realised D was crying.

"God, D, stop it!" he claimed, exasperated, and hurried over, standing behind the kami, not knowing whether to touch him at all, and if, where. His hands were reaching and withdrawing again. "D, please. We can do that, I know it. If it's necessary, we can move to some other state, where no one knows us. Stop crying."

D mumbled something.

"What?"

"I said you don't understand at all!" the kami burst out and turned to Leon, attacking him with his fists, so fast Leon could barely jump back. "You don't understand anything!"

"Hey, whoa, make slow!" The blonde caught the fists and drew D close to him, realising he'd never seen him truly cry. Tears swimming in those mismatched eyes, yes, one tear rolling down his cheek as he pushed Leon away from him, too, but cry, like he did now, whole body convulsing with sobs and tears running down the beautiful face, no. Whatever had happened, D had always had himself under control, never allowing his feelings to get the better of him.

Suddenly Leon understood. He embraced D and forced him to lay his head down on his shoulder. The kami resisted, but not very strongly, and the blonde managed to take him into his arms. "D, why did you never tell me? Damn, I'm here to take my responsibility as Dana's dad, and I'm here for you. Why did you never tell me you don't have a clue what to do with her yourself?"

D hid his face in his shoulder and didn't answer, but he needn't to. Leon knew exactly what he would say. He was a kami, he was the one who had brought Dana upon them both, he was supposed to know what to do with the child. And Leon, truth be told, had never really questioned that D knew what to do with her. He'd never spared a thought to the fact that Dana was D's first child as well, and probably the first child his kin had had in god-knows-how-many generations. No wonder he was freaking.

The blonde looked around, saw only D's high-backed chair and sat down on it, pulling the kami with him and seating him on his lap, legs to both sides of his legs. His hands stroked D's back in soothing movements. "D, we're gonna be alright, I swear. I won't let anything happen to you or Dana. Hell, I'd rather let myself be killed for you!"

A sob heaved up D's chest. "I don't want you to die," he mumbled into the wet spot on Leon's t-shirt.

"I'm not going to die anytime soon. Calm down. I'm a detective. I'm right where all suspicious things end up. I know what they do to make people talk. I'm pretty sure we can handle it if anyone really gets suspicious."

He felt the kami nod shyly into his shoulder. Leon continued to speak, trying to soothe him and feeling like he was sitting in front of a frightened animal, aware it might vanish any moment if he made an unexpected move.

"We're gonna be alright. Trust me. No one ever listened to me when I was going on about how you were responsible for all of those deaths. No one will listen to anybody trying to tell them you're not human."

"The FBI might start to investigate me again," D murmured beside Leon's ear.

"They might. But why should they? Agent Howell is dead, and as far as they're concerned, you weren't even involved in his death. At least the report we sent them after your father died said that. People forget so quickly. Why should they investigate further?"

"But when Dana grows, they will notice she's different."

Leon put his hands to D's shoulders and held him at arm-length. His blue eyes searched his face solemnly. "D, we're gonna handle that as we handled everything else. If worst happens, we can still move. We both have a lot of experience in that by now. Please just don't think you've gotta take it all yourself. Tell me about it, will you?"

D's head dropped onto his chest, his hair shielding his eyes. But he nodded. The blonde smiled, put a hand under his chin and made him look into his face. "Don't worry. We're gonna be okay."

He tugged slightly at the kami's head, guiding him closer to his face. His breath stopped for a second before it resumed in a shattering cadence, his eyes became wild and a little frightened. But Leon hadn't spent so much time for nothing at the pet shop. He gently laid his other arm around D's waist again and pulled him closer, and D followed him as if hypnotized. And then their faces were barely two centimetres apart.

Their lips found each other. At first it was just a shy peck, but then D leaned closer and pressed his mouth to Leon's. He was no experienced kisser, but he was trying, and the blonde felt so overwhelmed by the feeling of those soft lips on his that he wouldn't have minded if D had been the worst kisser in the whole world, past and future included. Carefully he tried to show D how to kiss, and the kami eagerly followed his ministrations. A small sigh escaped Leon. God, this was so much better than fighting with D…

His hand slid from D's back to his shoulder, where it met the top the kami was wearing today and the many closures on it. His annoyance at the complicated outfit caused him to growl in his throat. D jerked back at once, looking utterly mortified. "I – I am sorry!" he stammered and placed a hand over his mouth. "I – I am not…"

His voice trailed off as his blush increased, and his mismatched eyes looked miserable. Leon hurried to soothe him. "No, no, D, cool down. It's not you," he said and pulled D back against him. "It's not you. It's that top of yours."

D's face lost its tense expression and he just looked confused. "My top?" he echoed, sounding unbelieving.

Leon grinned lopsidedly and shrugged. "Yeah. Silly, ain't it? But that's it."

"Why do my clothes bother you?" D's voice was astounded. Leon bit back a rather dumb comment about D's clothes being in the way of what he would like to do with the kami and tried to think of a good answer. The Chinese pecked his head to the side and eyed him curiously, not even realising what pass he'd just provided Leon with. He thought desperately, but his mind wouldn't come up with anything else than with the truth. But it just sounded stupid.

He cleared his throat and tried to wave it away. "Never mind, it's not important."

"But, Leon…" D protested, and the blonde knew he was hooked now and wouldn't let go until he'd told him.

Perhaps it was the fact that Leon felt like one of D's mysteries had been revealed to him, now that he had seen him cry, really cry. "I don't know," he admitted silently. "It's just – your clothes, they are so – so -" He stopped again, not sure how to explain. D raised his head and looked at him, brow wrinkled again in dismay.

"They're too girlish for you," he stated flatly.

"No!" Leon shook his head vigorously. "No, that's not it. It's just – they're like armour."

He felt stupid at saying such a thing, but the curious look in D's eyes encouraged him to explain further. He tugged at one of the little closures. "You're always so wrapped up in them, all high collar, and tight behaviour, and closed up, and there's no breach in them, no place where one can get inside. And I'm trying and trying, but you just keep on being all tied up and I don't get through to you. You always shut me out. Everybody else gets through to you, Jill and Chris and Dana and your pets, but not me. Never me."

The words tumbled out of his mouth and he realised that he'd wanted to say them for a very long time. "I never reach you," he conceded silently, sighing deeply and stroking his hands down the kami's back. The feeling of the warm body underneath them made him feel something like close to the Chinese for the first time .

Sometime during his speech, D's head had dropped again to rest on Leon's shoulder. Now, when the blonde stopped to take a breath, he mumbled something. Leon arrested his hands on D's back. "What?"

The kami's lips brushed his ear as he whispered silently, "But you did."

"Yeah?" Leon felt D nod shyly.

"You always did. That was why I hated you so much. You robbed me of any defences I had. You made me fear and long for you at the same time, and you never noticed how much you frightened me."

"Oh, fuck." The blonde took a deep breath and resumed caressing D. "I'm so sorry, D. I never wanted to – well, I guess I did, but not that way."

"It is my own deficiency," D said silently, still not moving. But the human felt his body relax slowly under his hands. "I should have forced you to leave me alone when I got aware of the feelings you caused in me. But I was so vain, I thought I could handle them, and could handle you. I wanted to prove myself I was not afraid of you." He took a deep, shuddering breath. "And I wanted to prove myself that I was not attracted to you, either."

Leon couldn't help the lopsided grin on his face. "Well, seems we agree at least on this. Because I was telling myself the whole time there was just no friggin' way I could be attracted to you, too."

"I am so sorry my stubbornness has brought all this upon you," D whispered and sounded like he was about to cry again. Leon tightened his arms around the kami.

"As I've told you before, it takes two to tango. It's as it is, no point in thinking about what-ifs now. Just let's try to make this work, okay?"

D's head moved in a nod. The blonde leaned back in the chair, causing him to practically lie down over his chest. He felt tired, so tired he could almost fall asleep right here, on Leon's lap. His eyes kept closing although he tried to keep them open. But the warmth of Leon's body beneath him, the strange new tenderness between them, the exhaustion from the terror he had felt earlier all summed up. A few seconds later he was asleep as well.

* * *

He awoke the next morning to find himself still sprawled over the detective's body. Leon was asleep beneath him, face peaceful and relaxed. D didn't dare to move. He just gazed at the human in wonder. So this was love.

He dared to place a shy kiss on the blonde's lips. He stirred, tightened his arms around D's back and murmured something indecipherable. "Leon, it is time to wake up," D said softly, giving him another kiss. "It is nearly half past seven. You have to go to work."

"Not yet," Leon mumbled and one of his hands started to stroke D's back. The kami shivered and bit his lip. He couldn't give in to that sudden flaring desire, not now, not here…

"Please, Leon, wake up. Miss Jill is going to be displeased if you run late," he pleaded and tugged at Leon's arm. "And I have to go to Dana and prepare breakfast."

The blonde sighed deeply, cracked open a blue eye and sent a weary glance at the kami on top of him. "Don't be silly, Jill's gonna be squeaking like you when you get sweets when I tell her what happened last night," he said.

D blushed. "I do not squeak if you bring me sweets," he reprehended stiffly. Leon's grin widened. "Course not."

But he straightened, raising D as well in the process. He quickly slid down from his legs before he could change his mind. Never had his body yearned more for the nearness of the human than it did right now. But now was neither the time nor the place for such. And this time, he wanted to take it slow. Enough had been destroyed by his rash actions in the past.

Leon yawned widely and stretched. "That chair's not the most comfortable either," he commented. "You prepare breakfast, I'll go fetch Dana?"

D smiled at him. "Do you want something special?"

"Make sure I get my meat. That's all I want," the blonde called, already on his way to D's bedroom.

He returned half an hour later with the girl sitting on his hip, already dressed, wide awake and up to mischief as usual. She seemed quite happy that both of her fathers were there for breakfast and not at all surprised. Sitting on Leon's knees, she entertained both adults, Pon-chan, Tetsu and some pets who were in the kitchen with a song she'd apparently invented herself. Leon petted her hair affectionately. "My little songbird," he said proudly and flashed a smile at D.

All pets gaped when their master returned the smile happily. "Will you come back after your shift?" he asked and took Leon's plate. The blonde hoisted the girl up on his shoulders and carried her to the parlour.

"Yeah, will be back at seven or so if nothing happens." He sat the girl down. "Dana, I've gotta go work. Be a good girl. I'll be back in some hours," he said and smiled at her.

"I shall prepare a room for you then… Leon," D offered. The blonde smiled back at him.

"Yeah, do that," he called and jumped up the stairs. Pon-chan and T-chan didn't seem to know where to look. But their master barely turned back to the shop, smiling happily.

The raccoon nudged her friend. "What happened yesterday after they quarrelled?" she asked astonished. Tetsu shrugged.

"Dunno," he replied and went over to get Dana. "But it sure is a change for the better if you ask me."

* * *

A/N: They just can't live without bashing in each other's head every now and then, now, can they? *sighs* Just great -.- (The inserted "now" hit the nail on the head, Dark Inu, and not only for the moment... *smiles*)

No, sorry ;-) Actually, I like it, and I hope you liked it, too, and thanks for the reviews!

Oh, BC, you really, really deserve a big hug for that review! *hugs* Yeah, prepare more popcorn, although I think you're gonna need to get some stashed... at least if everything goes like I want it to go... ah, I can't talk about that yet ^^  
Okay, you're either from Spain or from Mexico... but considering that most of my readers seem to be from Mexico, I'd say the latter. On the other hand - the time difference seems to be too short for a land on the other side of the ocean...


	18. First times

Warning: This chapter contains descriptions of sexual actions! If you are underage (which we all know at least half of you are) or don't like that kind of thing (but why should you read this at all if you don't, right?), stop reading at this sign: %&% and start reading again at this: &%&.

**Bad news warning. Please look at my profile under Author's Corner for more information!**

**First times**

"Leon, it is bedtime," D reminded the human softly, stepping inside the Crystal Palace. Honlon, Pon-chan and Dana complained.

"Play bàbà!" the little girl demanded."

D shook his head. "Not anymore, Dana," he replied and gathered up her plush cat and penguin. "Now it's time for bed. Don't you want to know how it feels to sleep in a bed for big girls?"

Kanan snorted when the child's eyes suddenly blazed with joy. "Dana own bed!" she cried out. Leon looked up in surprise.

"She's got her own room now?" he asked and rose from the floor. The kami nodded and proceeded to gather toys.

"Yes. I prepared one for her today along with your room, Leon," he answered. "It is right beside my bedroom."

The human shook his head in amazement. "This shop's just weird," he murmured, but scooped his daughter up all the same. "C'mon, sweetie, let's have a look at your new room."

"Me too!" Pon-chan cried and followed them. T-chan cracked open one eye.

"I hope it's not pink," he commented and stretched, yawning. D frowned. "Pink? Tetsu, really!" he started, but the totetsu cut him off. "Just wanted to make sure," he laughed and was off, too. The kami shook his head in mild wonder.

Shuko nudged him. "It's not pink?" she inquired, seemingly disappointed. "What a shame. Can we paint the Crystal Palace pink then?"

"Shuko!" the Count reprimanded while Kanan and Junrei broke down laughing.

* * *

Leon stepped out of Dana's new room just as D returned from Honlon's room, having given his dragon daughter a severe lecture about behaviour. He was still a bit flustered and the blonde, noticing this, chuckled and placed an arm around his waist. "What's the matter, did Kanan do something?" he asked.

D shook his head indignantly. "No, it was Shuko. Kanan is rubbing off on her."

The glance he sent Leon was meant to be reprimanding, but in truth was just warm. "Are you tired, Leon?" he inquired.

The human nodded. "Yeah, quite. Was a hard day again. Can you imagine what I'm going through at the moment because of you and the kid? I can't work anymore 'cause everybody keeps dropping by and asking me questions."

D chuckled and opened the door opposite to his own bedroom. "My poor Leon," he said and stepped inside. "I hope this will make you feel better. I took the freedom of placing your things in here…"

The room was much like Leon's apartment, safe the posters. Not much furniture, but great windows. The blonde smiled when he noticed the various plants in it. It seemed a lot friendlier than his apartment. "Yeah, think this is gonna help," he acknowledged and turned back to the kami. "So, then… goodnight?"

Something in his face seemed to be wrong. Something…

D hastily swallowed the question he wanted to pose. "Yes, good night, Leon. I shall retire to my own room," he announced.

Was it a flash of disappointment?

Still, he quietly closed the door and headed to his own bedroom, not knowing if he should berate himself for acting so silly. Had it been a good idea to give Leon a room instead of just asking him to sleep in D's? After all, they were a couple now – at least he thought so… when did humans call an affair an affair and from which point on was it a relationship? What name would Leon use for that which was between them?

D slipped out of his cheongsam and pulled on his pyjamas. Then he quietly opened the door to his daughter's bedroom and checked on the child, but she was fast asleep. Perhaps he should have given Leon a room on the other side of Dana's, or at least connected to his own… but he was just opposite. He should hear her cry, too…

The young kami sighed and snuggled into his bed, staring at the ceiling. It was him who was making this complicated. He just thought too much. Leon wanted to sleep in the pet shop because of the child, and their relationship, if it could be called such, was not that far yet to be sleeping in one bed… was it?

A knock at the door made him straighten again. "Yes?" he called, heart beating fast, mouth suddenly dry. It could only be…

Leon entered and carefully closed the door behind him. Then he stood there, pushing his hands into his pockets, clearly embarrassed. D blushed, too. The blonde cleared his throat. "So, mind if I come in?" he asked. The kami shook his head, wondering what he should answer. If things had been different, had been like three years ago, his response would have been a chilly "It seems I won't be able to stop you even if I mind, Detective, and it is kind of late asking that considering you're already inside."

But now he was at a loss what to do. Leon walked up to the bed and sat down on it hesitantly. He scratched his head. "It's just – it's kinda silly using two bedrooms, ain't it? I mean, we're a couple now – at least, officially… we could as well stay in just one room."

He glanced at the wall, beet-red. They were silent for some seconds. Then D made room besides himself and laid his hand on the silken sheets. "You are probably right, Leon. Would you – care to join me?"

Silently he berated himself for such a silly sentence. It sounded like – like he was trying to seduce Leon, or something like that. Why did this have to be so difficult?

The blonde glanced at him, and then, startling D, he started to laugh out loud. "God, D, if you could just see yourself now!" he gasped. "Oh my god, we have to be the silliest idiots in the world," and he continued to laugh, blue eyes dancing merrily. D wanted to be angry at him for saying such, but he found the corners of his mouth quirking up, and before he could stop himself, he had started laughing, too.

Leon came into the bed to sit besides him and took him into his arms immediately. "Now we're gonna start calling each other Mr Detective and Count D again and it's just perfect," he chuckled. "I can see why the couples in the 19th century never called each other by first names. It makes the whole atmosphere so much more relaxing, don't you think so, too?"

"Probably," D agreed and snuggled into the embrace. "Mr Detective, would you kindly care to come under the covers?"

Leon grinned and answered. "Oh, thank you very much, Count D, I think I shall consider that option," he said pompously, coaxing another laugh out of the kami.

"It's kind of absurd," he mused and held the covers up so the blonde could slide under them. "I mean, the way humans use titles and such. Though the rules have become much more relaxed in the past years."

Leon settled into the bed comfortably, putting one arm under his head and sliding the other around D's slender frame. "Good. I don't like being formal anyway."

He turned his head and placed a kiss on D's lips. It felt completely natural, so he kissed the kami again. "And I'm really glad you stopped calling me Mr Detective. Leon sounds much better."

For a moment they just lay there in silence. The D spoke up. "Leon? What are we supposed to do now?"

The blonde couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled up and he laughed. "Whatever we want to do, honey," he answered, still chuckling. "What do you mean? There's no etiquette concerning what you do in bed with your lover. Well, apart from: don't do anything he doesn't want you to do."

D hid his head in Leon's shoulder and the blonde gently stroked his back. "This is new for you, ain't it?" he asked gently. "I'm sorry, D, I didn't think about that. Just tell me what you want to do, okay?"

The kami shook his head still buried in Leon's shirt. He sighed and thought for a moment. "Okay, then I'm going to tell you what I want to do. And then you tell me something you want to do, deal?"

D hesitated and then nodded. The blonde grinned. "Great. I'd really like to kiss you now."

The kami raised his head from Leon's shoulder and shyly placed a kiss on his lips, eyes averted, hiding his deep blush as good as possible behind the curtain of his dark hair. Leon could feel how tense his body was and decided he had to make D relax. So he returned the kiss softly, slipping his fingers into the silky blackness. Distinctly he recalled the feeling. Yeah, he'd done that before, but he couldn't remember if the kami had liked it.

But he didn't object either. So Leon dared to prolong his strokes, gliding over the silk of D's pyjama top. The guy was for sure used to luxury. Silken nightclothes, and they were quite elaborate from what Leon had been able to see, with little closures just like the ones on his cheongsam and silver thread woven into the soft green fabric.

D's shoulders were all hard and tense, and he shuddered for a moment when Leon touched them. He stopped immediately. "You okay?" he asked. Mismatched eyes opened and focused on him.

"Yes, thank you," the kami silently answered and slipped down again.

"You're all tense," Leon said and tested one shoulder with his thumb. D winced. "Here, let me take care of that. I'm quite good at giving backrubs," he offered, then remembered what he'd suggested. "If you like."

D seemed to consider for a moment, then he nodded, blushing again. "Yes," he whispered and Leon wriggled out. He sat up and pushed the covers back until they only covered D's legs and ass. Then he took in the sight for a moment. Boy, D was skinny! He'd already noticed the mornings the kami had been in his apartment, but now it seemed even more worrying. For some reason the silk accentuated the bones more than the pure skin did.

"D, you've gotta eat more," he said, rubbing his hands together to warm them up. "Place your hands besides your head, kay?"

"I am eating enough," D replied and did as he was told, wanting to add something else, but the sudden weight and heat of Leon's hands on his shoulders cut him off. Immediately his body absorbed the warmth. The hands stayed there for a moment, then started kneading the tense muscles carefully.

"Tell me if I'm hurting you," Leon murmured, absorbed in his task.

"No…" D's voice trailed off as he relished in the sensation. Of course he could have asked one of his pets to give him a backrub. Especially the cats were quite skilled in that respect. But Leon was much better. His hands felt so big, and yet, they were so careful and tender, testing the tension before working on it until it was gone. The kami had never thought of Leon being so considerate.

The unease disappeared with every tension the human loosened. D felt luxurious lethargy settle in his body. He almost started purring. The hands glided further down, treating the muscles to both sides of his spine now, careful not to extend pressure on the spine itself. A contented sigh heaved up the kami's chest. "Yes, that spot," he whispered and stretched like a cat, eliciting an amused chuckle from Leon.

"This here?" he asked, placing light fingers on a spot right besides the last rib.

D, against his will, started to purr. "Yes, that one. Oh!"

"No wonder you're so stiff all the time if your back's that tense," the blonde mumbled and worked his way back up the spine, testing if there were any tensions left. Finding that there were none, he stopped kneading and simply petted the kami, who seemed to have turned into silky liquid beneath his hands. Leon followed his hand, taking in as much as possible. D was such a fragile thing. Even his bones felt frail under his hands. He could barely believe this was the guy who could be shot several times without dying and still look pretty and fresh afterwards.

"Leon?" D purred, eyes still closed in bliss.

"Yeah?"

"It's your turn to say what you want to do." The mismatched eyes opened and the blonde noticed to his surprise that there was an enticing spark in them. He swallowed.

"Let's see, what do I want to do?" he mumbled, unable to look away. The kami blinked slowly, turned around and wrapped slim arms around Leon's neck.

"I might have a suggestion," he whispered and tugged him down. Again their mouths met. D was a fast learner. But Leon didn't think about that any longer when the kami's arms slipped down his back and effectively forced him to lie down besides him.

"See? Not that difficult, is it?" the blonde whispered and let go of D's lips in favour of his throat, working under his mouth. No high collar here now, and Leon silently decided to make D wear less high-collared garments. It was a shame to hide this throat. Or this lovely, delicate collarbone.

And, thinking about it, why should D wear a top at all?

The kami gasped slightly when he felt the hand tugging at the closure of his nightclothes. "Leon, what are you doing?" he whispered, suddenly tense again. The human picked up on that and left the frog alone, instead stroking D's back again. Promptly the kami snuggled closer and returned the caresses, playing with Leon's blonde hair and tugging at the hair tie.

"Don't, D, they're gonna be a mess tomorrow," Leon murmured into the curve of neck and shoulder, tickling him with the words. D shuddered with delight.

"It's my turn," he gave back and freed the mass of blonde strays. "Besides, if you wish, I will comb you tomorrow."

The human chuckled. "You're gonna comb my hair? That I wanna see."

"I have a lot of experience." D's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Pets need to be brushed and combed, too."

To that Leon barely snorted. "Great, I'm treated like a pet in here. I only hope you're not gonna use T-chan's brush on me."

D shut him up by kissing him again, and while he was distracted, Leon took the chance to slip his hand under D's top. D shuddered and pressed himself against Leon. The blonde had to suppress a groan. Oh, fuck. If D continued to be this way, all nice and warm and pliable in his arms, he couldn't guarantee for anything anymore…

"You should undress," the kami whispered as if on cue. This time Leon moaned.

"D, don't say such things!" he prayed and took a deep breath before opening his eyes to look at his lover.

The mismatched eyes seemed both shy and curious. "But you are still in your day clothes. This can't be comfortable."

_But better for you__._

The blonde stared at him a little helpless. "Not that I want to sound as if I wanted to sleep in them, but are you sure you want me to undress?"

Finally Leon's point hit home and the kami blushed deeply. "I – that was not what I meant!" he stammered, unsure again.

"I know," Leon croaked and tore his gaze forcefully from D's beautiful, flushed cheeks, gleaming eyes and red lips while he tried to figure out just exactly how much D knew about relationships and sex. He'd have to have sex before Leon. Otherwise how should he have taken advantage of him? Especially since drunken men weren't quite known for their skills in bed.

But he didn't seem to know what to do all the same…

The light touch of D's fingers on his face made him abandon that thought and look at the kami again. He licked his lips unsure. "We could agree on just – cuddling?" he suggested, seeking Leon's eyes. Entranced, the blonde nodded.

"Yeah. Okay. I'll just – take my jeans off. If that's okay."

D's eyelashes fluttered and he blushed, but nodded. Hell, could they get any more complicated?! Leon had never been shy in bed with anyone. Unsure, yes, when he'd been in high school. But that was a long time ago.

On the other hand – he'd never been with anyone like D. Not female, not male, not human. Perhaps complicated wasn't too bad right now.

So he disentangled himself from silken bed sheets and took off his jeans with a soft sigh. Better. Much better. No reason to be embarrassed at the bulge in his boxers. D was partly male himself, he probably knew what this was like…

Did he?

The young kami had watched him from beneath lowered lashes and caught Leon's unwilling gaze to his nether regions. Blushing, he drew the covers up, but Leon had already seen a similar bulge in D's pyjamas. However, his feeling of relief didn't stop the burning in his cheeks. He couldn't believe he'd just checked out D's… whatever.

"This is totally strange," he mumbled and slipped back under the covers, too. "Just how - ? Oh, forget it."

"No, ask, please," D assured hastily. "I – we probably should talk about my – anatomy…" The fact that he was hiding his face in the cushion as good as possible while saying that wasn't very reassuring.

"You're sure?" Leon asked, highly sceptical. "I mean, I'm gonna find out sooner or later… probably…"

"I –" D took a deep breath, then he leaned over Leon, did something and the lights dimmed. "My species sexual characteristics are not quite like a human's," he started to explain.

Leon stopped him, though, afraid of the situation getting even more embarrassing. "Would you mind just – you know, showing me?" he inquired. "Just, you know, then we'd not have to talk…"

For a moment he thought the kami was insulted, but then a slim hand grabbed his and guided it back under the silken pyjama top. D snuggled closer again, lying on his back while Leon propped himself up on one arm and let D guide his hand, simply feeling.

At first he felt the warm, smooth skin under his fingers. He brushed it lightly with just the fingertips and it immediately got goosebumps. D's hand tugged his along up the chest, so Leon just let him do what he wanted and explored D's upper body carefully. Only when he knew the feeling of the frail ribs (D really had to eat more), the little spot right under D's arms that made him giggle nervously when he touched it and the dip of his stomach did Leon turn his attention to D's nipples. He was not surprised to find out that they were more like a woman's than a man's, soft and big and responsive.

For a moment he almost started chuckling nervously, too, when he remembered that Dana had probably sucked at them, but he was able to suppress the giggle. Laughing would not ease D's tension, nor his own, which was both made of the nervousness at the strange situation and the long denied yearning for exactly this body.

So Leon took a deep breath and steadied himself. D's hand again took his and guided it further down, over the stomach, the belly, the navel…

"Why do you have a navel?" Leon asked surprised, hearing his voice echo in the bedroom. D laughed softly and some of the tension vanished.

"A remainder of the old times," he answered and let Leon explore the small hollow. "To remind us that even though we can be born without parental help now, earth is still our mother."

"A lot of philosophy behind a simple belly button," the human remarked. D chuckled again.

"Probably," he agreed. "At least that was the explanation grandfather gave me. But he might have made it up, for all that I know."

"Huh."

Leon wanted to answer, but D's hand had taken his again and was tugging it away from the body part in question to where D's silken trousers began. There it halted its movement and the other joined it. Leon's heart was hammering in his chest and he gulped. "You sure?"

Did he imagine it or was D's breath somehow uneven, too?

The waistband of the silken garment gave way and Leon's hand slipped underneath before he had time to think.

"Yes."

Well, okay then.

**%&%** Hand in his trousers. Now you should stop reading. **%&%**

D's hand was still on Leon's, but not guiding him anymore, just lying on top of it light as a feather. The blonde steadied himself again, swallowed and moved his hand down.

The first thing he noticed was that it didn't feel that different to himself. Of course, D's skin was a lot smoother than his, and there was no hair anywhere. He figured that given D's foreign anatomy, it would be more trouble than use. Or perhaps it was just for the sake of beauty. Who could know, with unearthly beautiful creatures like D?

Then he met something familiar, and D's breath caught in his throat for a second. His hand tightened on Leon's. Immediately the blonde stopped and waited. "Go on," D whispered. "If you want to know…"

"Not if it's not okay for you," Leon replied firmly, cursing the blood in his body rushing to a most unfavourable place. D took a few deep breaths and then pressed his hand encouragingly.

"It is okay," he answered decidedly. Leon listened for a quiver, anything in his voice that might have told him the kami was bowing to his will rather than his own needs, but when he could not discern anything, he dared to feel around.

"Cute," he voiced.

"What?" came the baffled reply. Leon bent forward and kissed D. Oh, hell, yeah, he was nearly gasping for air. Leon decided to take it slow. "You," he said and lay down to wrap his other arm around D's shoulders.

The kami came willingly, pressing himself into Leon's larger body. "I do not think I understand."

The blonde kissed him again. "Small but cute," he explained.

It took a moment for D to process what he meant. Then: "Oh! Ah, Leon, I am… since we are not fully male…"

"Ssh," Leon soothed and, for lack of a finger to put on D's lips, kissed the kami once more. "Has no one ever told you size doesn't matter?"

"Well, I guess if you see it this way…" D said warily and sighed when Leon stroked a finger over him.

"I do," he murmured and considered telling D that actually the differences he was feeling were doing a lot to make him feel better with this, too. If he had to touch another man's cock, he preferred it to be noticeably dissimilar from his own. And D was, though somehow familiar, obviously different, if Leon could trust his fingers.

So far, so good. Time to get on to the really interesting parts.

Carefully Leon let go of D's manhood, eliciting again a soft sigh from the kami, and then a silent moan when he started stroking his thighs, parting them tenderly, since D had pressed them together quite tight. Then he chuckled again when he realised something else. "Hey, you're missing something very important," he pointed out and felt D raise his head to look at him in the darkness.

"Which would be?" he asked.

Leon bit his lip. "I always knew you just don't have the balls to eat meat."

"You are being stupid," D chided and shoved him a bit. The blonde lost the fight and laughed out.

"Yeah, I am. Sorry. Just – how does that work? I mean, didn't you say you could get human women with child?"

"I could if I wanted to," the kami said stiffly. "If you care to know, the male body parts you are referring to are inside my body. In fact, my species does not have sperm and egg like humans, but something we call "the seed of life". It is both able to function as sperm and egg, depending on our chosen sexual partner."

"Handy," Leon commented.

D was silent for a moment. Then he sighed and Leon felt him kiss his collarbone. "I suppose it is, yes."

Something in his voice made the blonde hark up. "D, we don't have to do this tonight, really. There'll be plenty of other times to get to know…"

He trailed off when suddenly a cool, slender hand slipped beneath his t-shirt. "Just why are you so intent on doing this here and now?" he asked somewhat nonplussed, though he of course didn't resent D touching him. Only that it was not helping the situation in his boxers when he'd rather have his mind free to see to D's needs.

"Aren't you the one so fond of saying that today's as good as any other day?" D whispered, and just the rough edge to his voice nearly made Leon groan. "You are _not_ helping, darling."

Whatever he'd expected, it was surely not what happened then. D made a breathless sound, not quite a squeal, but something close to it mixed with a purr, and then Leon was thrown onto his back, D climbing on top of him and kissing him for all he was worth. Which meant, by the time he let go of Leon, the blonde saw stars dancing in front of his eyes, and the pressure in his boxers had increased considerably again.

"D!" he half sighed, half groaned. "This is really not good…"

"Say it again!" the young kami cut him off. "Please, Leon, say it again…"

"What? Darling?"

To tell the truth, Leon was surprised he was still able to think somehow straight. When nothing came forth from D, he craned his neck and tried to discern more than the shadowy figure of the kami above him. But he just heard uneven, hasty breaths. Concerned he tried to nestle his hand out of D's trousers (where it still was, thanks to some miracle, since D had been pretty rough throwing Leon over), while his other sought the kami's face.

A hand gripped his wrist like iron, keeping his hand firmly in place. The blonde managed to convince enough blood to flow back into his head for his brain to think about D's strange behaviour, but it all rushed down again when his fingers suddenly touched something wet and warm. "I love you," D breathed and shuddered at the touch. "I love you, Leon."

"Oh, damn it all," Leon replied with feeling and could feel the glare burning through his skin. "I'll have you know that you're responsible for everything happening from now on."

And before D could say another word, he'd tugged him down again, claiming the kami's mouth hungrily, the free hand raking over the silken top, tearing it aside to get to the smooth skin beneath. D gasped, shuddered, his body lost all tension and seemed to melt on top of Leon, and the sound he made was just _indecent_.

Not that Leon cared about any kind of decency anymore. All he wanted was to feel D, taste him, smell him, do whatever he could to make him happy. But he still had enough wits not to loose himself completely in his lust. For once, who knew if D happened to be fertile at the moment, and they really didn't need another kid bouncing around the shop right now. And second, he wasn't sure of how to handle D.

So his fingers carefully explored the warmth D had offered to their touch so freely, noticing the differences and similarities to the women he'd had, while at the same time bruising D's throat. When he let go for a moment, the young kami whimpered bereft, but Leon had to. "Roll over," he whispered. "This isn't too comfortable for me."

D complied and then lay on his back, his fingers clawing into Leon's back while the blonde was busy finding out what his new lover liked, which was basically everything, or at least so it seemed.

However, Leon realised that the real exploration of D's likes and dislikes would have to wait when one of the kami's hands left his back and sneaked into his boxers target-oriented. Groaning, he buried his head in D's shoulder, feeling the breathless smile on his lover's face. D's hand was warm around him, and tender, and touching him just right…

He pressed his eyes shut until he saw stars dancing in front of them again and prayed, helplessly, "D, stop it! Stop it, stop it, stop it…!"

"Not yet, darling," the kami replied, his voice rough with passion, his body writhing and squirming under Leon, and then, to his great embarrassment, the pressure was too much, the feeling of D touching him too good, the need too overwhelming, and he could only hold on to his lover…

"You little bastard," Leon whispered into the darkness and felt the smile again.

"You said I am to be held responsible for everything happening. Well, I just took your word for it… LEON!"

The cry made up for some of it, but not for all. And it was so nice to play with D, finally touch him like he'd wanted to for years, find out what his skin tasted like…

D for his part was torn between being angry at Leon for making him feel so damn helpless in his hands, and simply screaming out his ecstasy. However, it was difficult to be angry at Leon when the human was touching him in such ways, so tenderly and carefully, listening to every sound D made, every stroke and kiss and touch telling about how he'd longed to do this to D.

When the fingers slipped so deep inside D was ready to believe he could touch them with his tongue and he couldn't hold back another scream, he gave up on trying to be angry and settled for not thinking anymore. This was so different to the way it had been in that first night, so much better, and he felt eternally grateful for that.

Then Leon found that little spot in him where male and female joined each other in his body, and D felt as if the world had stopped moving. For one or two seconds he stopped breathing, stopped being, and then he was falling, falling down, his arms twined around Leon's neck, wishing this could last forever.

**&%&** Now you can continue. No danger here anymore. **&%&**

A chuckle made him open his eyes sometime later. He couldn't remember what time it was, but probably still night, judging by the darkness in the bedroom. Perhaps only some seconds had passed, perhaps hours, D wasn't sure about that. But he was pretty sure the one holding him tight was Leon, and he snuggled closer, not caring for the fact that both their pants were quite wet and sticky.

"I could get used to that," Leon said into the darkness, bending down to kiss his kami.

"You're not – disgusted?" D inquired, suddenly remembering that Leon, for all he knew, had always been straight.

But the blonde barely snorted. "I can't believe you're still asking that after what just happened. Thought I already told you it was cute."

"'Cute' is not the word I would use to describe…"

"Listen, D," the blonde cut him off. "I'm a straight guy and have always been. But apparently, 'straight' doesn't apply where you are concerned. I'd say we just leave it at that. And I'm tired. And I've got to go to work tomorrow."

D just had to kiss him again at that.

* * *

A/N: Admit it. I got you all there. I got you all to believe they're gonna sleep with each other. *grins* HA! xD Okay, sorry. Thank you all for the reviews, girls, especially kai's grrl :-) I'm glad that you like it.

**Bad news warning. Please look at my profile under Author's Corner for more information!**


	19. Handling together

**Handling together**

"Would you tell me about it?"

D craned his neck and tried to look into Leon's face from his place on the human's chest. "About what?" he asked curiously. They were the first words spoken since what seemed to be a long time. They were both tired, yet they couldn't go to sleep right now. Perhaps Dana would wake again, and then one of them had to go and soothe her, more likely both. The girl was afraid to be left alone by either father.

So now they were lying on D's bed, still wearing their clothes. Leon had brought Dana to bed a while ago and then come to D, lying down without a word, just taking the kami into his arms tightly, and they'd stayed like that. Just felt the other body, the other's faint heartbeat. D had never known what contentedness could be found in simply being together.

Leon loosened a hand around D and threaded it through black silken hair instead. "About Dana. About the pregnancy. The birth. Would you tell me about it?"

D pushed himself up until he was propped up over his lover and could study his face. The blonde met his gaze with warm blue eyes, a tender expression the kami hadn't seen often yet. But every time he saw it, he fell ever more in love with the human.

"Yes, I will. What do you want to know?" he answered and slipped back into Leon's arms. His hand stroked D's back, sending warmth through the silk of his cheongsam. The kami closed his eyes and relished in the new sensations. How blessed he was to be here right now, with the one he loved.

Leon hesitated, but then asked. "What's it like, having a baby in you?"

D turned so that he lay on his back and placed one of Leon's hands on his belly. "It is wonderful," he replied softly. The blonde rolled over on his side, too, and propped his head on his hand, looking down on their hands on the kami's abdomen. "Feeling a new life growing in you is just – indescribable," D continued. "I cannot really say how it feels. But when it starts to move… it is better than anything else in the world."

"Didn't you feel bad sometimes? I mean, all women I knew who got pregnant were pretty sick during pregnancy." Leon grinned a little lopsidedly. "God, I remember when my mom was with Chris, she couldn't eat anything before midday. She'd throw up everything, even water."

D blushed. "I was pretty sick," he admitted shyly. "It was very difficult to find something I could eat."

Leon's fingers caressed his belly. "I'm sorry, D."

He smiled up at him fondly. "What for? You couldn't have guessed my condition."

The blonde shrugged. "Still, I wish I could've been there. I mean, okay, I would've been pretty pissed about it all, but still…"

The kami placed a finger over his lips and silenced him thus. "It was better this way, Leon," he said softly. "I could never have accepted your help. I was – too stubborn to admit what I felt for you. I was frightened and I needed my grandfather's help. I would rather not have both of you in one place while I'm already feeling bad."

Leon chuckled and then became solemn again. "So you had a pretty difficult pregnancy, didn't you?"

D considered what to tell him. But the words were still fresh in his memory. _I never come through to you._ He wanted this to work. He wanted Leon to trust him and love him. To achieve this, he had to trust the blonde as well.

"I was afraid," he confessed silently and dropped his eyes. "I was confused, shocked, angry, all at once. I hadn't asked to conceive and was angry that I did. I had no idea what to do, I was afraid to do something wrong and harm the child. There was this one evening –" he shuddered and clutched Leon's hand. "My body tried to get rid of Dana. It was weakened by the lack of food and decided the baby was too much for it. I was so afraid I would loose your child…"

His voice trailed off as he recalled the terror that had swept over him when he realised he might actually loose their baby.

A soft kiss snapped him back to the here and now. Leon's blue eyes looked at him lovingly as he brushed a strand of hair from his face. "You didn't want to loose my baby?" His voice was soft and tender. D smiled a little shakily.

"I was wrong not to tell you about her, but believe me, Leon, I never forgot you're her father," he said earnestly. In reply, Leon kissed him.

D gladly gave in to him, welcomed the lips on his, the tongue invading his mouth. But Leon drew back all too soon and leaned back against the head of the bed again, staring at the ceiling. A deep sigh heaved up his chest. The kami looked at him apprehensively. "Is something bothering you, Leon?" he inquired worriedly. "Has something happened in the Miller-case?"

The blonde shook his head and placed a quick kiss on his forehead. "No, D, it's nothing to do with work. It's Chris."

"Oh." D was silent for a moment. Then he spoke hesitantly. "Does he – know about his niece?"

"Not yet." Another deep sigh. "I wanted to tell him when we had settled in somehow. I guess that's now, and I really want to tell him. Have kept it a secret far too long. Only problem is, how am I gonna tell him that? I mean, we can't just turn up in NY on my aunt's doorstep with the kid and say, hello, here we are, that's Dana and she's our child."

"That would be rather rude," D asserted and laid his head back on Leon's chest. He felt it rise with every breath the blonde took. "But we could invite him here. He might perhaps want to come to the shop again."

Leon chuckled. "Might want to? D, he's crazy for you, completely. It almost broke his heart when I told him I wasn't going to continue searching for you."

"I am also glad you changed your mind," D replied softly.

Leon chuckled again. "Didn't have much choice, now, did I? Honlon's pretty persuasive if she wants to, and Kanan and Shuko are very stubborn."

"Just like their father," D couldn't suppress. Leon tweaked him.

"Both of their fathers, darling, don't forget to mention that. Thank god Junrei's different at least. Anyway, I should call Chris soon." He sighed deeply. "What am I going to tell my aunt and uncle? They didn't really like you, and that's probably not gonna change when they hear the news."

D suppressed a mean comment about Leon's relatives. He had liked Josie. She reminded him of Leon a lot, and he hadn't been surprised to hear the both of them had been good friends as children. Samantha was – well, a human girl. He didn't exactly dislike her, but he didn't like her either. The thing with Chris, well, that had been a quarrel between brother and sister, nothing he could hold against her.

However, their parents were another thing. Them he disliked. If Leon had been angry with him for letting Chris go with his sisters, D was angry at the parents for not thinking about Leon's feelings either. They had also just turned up and if not for Honlon, they would've taken Chris away without even telling Leon first. D had not been related to Leon back then. They were. If he'd hurt Leon by letting Chris go, they would've hurt him, too, by simply taking the boy.

Well, now the situation had changed considerably. He and Leon now shared a child. He could take his side, could he not?

"You could simply tell them what everybody believes anyway, that I am a woman," he suggested, trying not to sound pissed (which he still was, although he had to admit it presented a good explanation. Still, they had agreed on the 'rape'-explanation. D couldn't really picture himself getting raped by Leon. After all, he was the only human D'd ever had sex with).

"Will probably be best, won't it? Though Aunt Mary's sure to get all snobbish about you dressing up like a man, and I really hope Uncle Arthur only hears about it when I'm already out of hearing range. He'll have another monologue about how the young people nowadays don't know how to behave anymore and it's their own fault if something like this happens."

D chuckled and stroked Leon's chest with one hand, exploring the fabric and wondering if the blonde would mind taking his shirt off so he could get to the skin beneath. "But Miss Josie seemed to be quite open-minded," he voiced. The human snorted.

"Yeah, Josie's different anyways. My mother was her godmother and she spent quite a lot of time with us. Mom always was one for freedom. I think Uncle Arthur never said anything about it because he knew how much Aunt Mary loved her sister. Aunt Mary isn't bad. She's just a little antiquated sometimes. My mom was completely different. I always wondered why they were such good friends all the same."

"I wish I had got to know your mother," D said softly. Leon was silent for a moment.

"You would've liked her," he said then. "She was cool. And clever, and all. Just great. I never got why she married my father. Bastard left us for some strange plan of his when I was six, only to show up again fourteen years later, get my mom pregnant again and leave a second time. I don't even know why she welcomed him back. I didn't talk to him at all, but she just smiled and said he's still her husband."

D hesitated. "Why didn't your father get Chris after he was born?" he asked then. "I mean, I always – kind of assumed you and he are just half-brothers."

Leon grinned. "You did? No, we're real brothers, same mom, same dad. My father didn't get him because he left about four months after he'd come home for another project in South Africa. Don't know what exactly happened, but fact is, he managed to crash his plane on the way to some treasure. He was pretty adventurous, you know. Kind of like Indiana Jones, only he never had any success. Coulda been because he was just too dumb to know the difference between real stuff and fakes. Not that I was very sad about his death, especially because my mom had just told me she was pregnant again."

"You really didn't like your father, did you?" the kami inquired, having found the place where Leon's shirt was hanging out of the waistband of his jeans and trying to get it out further to get beneath. Leon shook his head.

"I didn't know him enough to dislike him. Even when I was a kid, he was always on the road, getting into trouble all the time trying to get rich quickly. But when I had turned six, someone offered him a chance to get to Africa, and he came home and told my mom he was going to get rich there. He never even promised her he'd come back and build her a palace or any such stuff." He snorted disparagingly. "Not that my mom would've wanted a palace. Still. He should have told her something like that. What are you doing there?"

D stopped his attempts at getting his hand beneath Leon's shirt and blushed. The blonde looked down on him and grinned broadly. "D, if you wanna take my shirt off, you can just ask me. I was starting to feel rather uncomfortable in it anyway."

The colour crept all the way up to his hair. "I – I was just thinking you might be – it looks so disorderly if only half of it is out of your jeans," he stammered and Leon laughed out loud.

"You may be good at lying out of bed, but in it, you really suck at it, D," he told his lover and quickly took off his shirt, leaning back into the cushions again. The kami hid his face in his shoulder, glad that his embarrassment provided him with an excuse to do so. Not that Leon would believe that either.

"So, what about your dad?"

The blonde's voice was very silent. His hand rested heavily on D's back. The kami kissed his collarbone. "He got reborn. There is no reason for you to have a bad conscience. I think he is happier now."

"He truly got reborn? Can he remember anything?"

D got up on his elbows again and looked down on Leon's face. He tried to sound casual, but the kami saw the pain in there he'd seen so often, every time when Leon had had to kill. It didn't matter who the dead one was. His human always took the deaths to heart.

"Leon, please," he said softly. "My father was not happy. He wasn't even in his right mind anymore. I do not know what made him go mad, but I know he was very sad." He slipped back down and took the human into his arms. "He was in the pet shop during my pregnancy, as well as my grandfather, and he was happy then. He has forgotten everything, but he still is my father. I recognised his character, and I am happy for him. Of course it was a shock at first. But I know he is happier now."

"Q-chan really got the whole family together, didn't he?" Leon's hands started to caress D. He arched against the touches.

"Yes, but that is not the way it should be. We cannot be all in the shop for long. It can only have one master, and that is me at the moment. When two of our kin are present, they will bring it out of balance sooner or later, because it obeys both commands. And with all three of us, it was only a matter of time until they had to leave again to avoid trouble."

The blonde sighed. "God, you're complicated."

"Not in all aspects," D whispered and decided they had talked long enough now. It was time to get on to other activities, much more delightful activities. So he craned his neck and kissed Leon. Obviously he shared his opinion, because he returned it eagerly. And D already felt the hand fighting with the closures of his cheongsam. Chuckling into the kiss, he helped Leon to undo them and get the garment off, then lay back and purred in delight as his lover slowly kissed his way down to his navel.

"Not that I mind that much, but it's really a shame," Leon murmured.

"What?" The kami let his hands slip into blonde hair. So soft, so wonderful, so pretty… his child had the best father he could have found.

"That you don't have breasts." Leon sighed and looked up at D. "Don't kill me, but I just like them."

He looked so unhappy that D took pity on him. "I had breasts during my pregnancy," he told him freely. "But they vanished again when I stopped feeding Dana."

Leon gaped. "You are _not_ serious, are you?"

D chuckled. "I am. How else should I have fed her? My species isn't _that_ different from humans."

Now the blonde swallowed visibly. "I – had wondered," he croaked. "Oh god, D, don't tell me such stuff. You're tempting me far too much. I might think about getting you pregnant again just to see that."

The kami raised an eyebrow. "I did not like them, Leon. They felt strange, and they hurt."

"That's just because you had no one to show you how much fun they can be," his lover murmured, but D ignored him.

"And besides, it would be difficult for you to get me pregnant again," he said arrogantly. Leon propped up his head.

"Oh yeah? I did it once, I could do it again." He let his eyes scan over D's naked body to where his light silken trousers began and grinned. "Especially if we keep going at this pace."

"You still would have no success. I have taken precautions," D replied and resumed his caresses. Leon blushed.

"Oh. That. I – I wanted to ask you anyway if we've got to use stuff, ya know, condoms or anything…" His voice trailed off. D nearly laughed at his embarrassed face.

"No, we do not. In fact, the herbal tea I prepared for myself is far more effective than anything humans thought up."

"Oh." Leon was still red, but he grinned again. "Well, then…"

He crawled up and started kissing D again. The young kami purred and stole Leon's hair tie while the blonde was busy with his throat. This morning, he'd told D that he liked him much better in clothes that didn't have a high collar. But since D couldn't very well show off his hickeys, he'd had to disappoint his lover with a heavy heart, promising him only that he was always welcome to take care of the high collar. The spark of lust in Leon's eyes following this statement had nearly tempted him into dragging the human back into bed and continuing their nightly activity. But common sense had argued, and D had watched his lover leave for work sadly.

However, now Leon was back and not at all averse to going further. D was almost embarrassed at how much he wanted this to happen. It was as if his body had decided his abstinence was to be over. Still, the kami had remembered how Leon had been careful not to really sleep with him and guessed the reason why. Since he consented that one child was enough for the time being, and was averse to the human ways of preventing, he'd taken his own precautions.

And it surely seemed he'd done so rightly, if one could judge by the way Leon was kissing him, so hungrily and needful. D gladly returned the kiss, wrapped one of his legs around Leon's body and snuggled closer. Leon's chest was wonderful to look at, but feeling it against his own was better. And then there was the way those hands were stroking his back, caressing and demanding at the same time…

The whimper was at first so soft D didn't realise neither of them was making the little sound. But then Leon startled, stopped kissing him and listened closer. "Isn't that Dana?" he asked, worried. The wail grew louder, definitely coming from the room next door. D let himself fall back into the cushions, groaning in frustration. His frown grew when Leon started to laugh while he climbed out of the bed and put his t-shirt back on.

"What?" he snapped.

The human shook his head and grinned."You know, I never thought you'd look so pissed just because I'm leaving your bed," he whispered, the low deep voice making D shudder with lust.

"Language!" he groaned and hid his burning cheeks in the cushion. Leon's hand stroked his ass. "Behaviour!"

The blonde went to the door leading to Dana's bedroom and grinned back at him. "Well, D, sorry to have to tell you, but you know what they say: The small sins god punishes at once – the big ones nine months later."

He was in the other room when the cushion hit the door. But D was at least granted compensation: Leon was the one who had to carry Dana around until early morning.

And in contrast to D, he couldn't sleep in.

* * *

"D, can I use your phone?"

The kami looked up from Dana's book surprised and nodded. "Of course," he answered, noticing that Leon seemed to be extraordinarily nervous, and had ever been since he came home from the precinct.

Then he understood what the human wanted to do. Well, they had talked about it yester-night. And better sooner than later. Still, his heart started to flutter, too, and he smiled at his lover encouragingly, wanting to show him he was with him.

Leon smiled back at him, took a deep breath and dialled in the number. He talked to Samantha and then Chris was on the phone. "Brother!" he exclaimed happily.

The elder Orcot smiled a little, although he couldn't see it. "Chris, hey lil'bro, how's it going?"

D sat beside him and tried to understand what Chris was telling Leon, but Dana wanted to be kept busy. She was crawling around on his lap and he had to watch her so she wouldn't fall down. He could only listen to the conversation with half an ear.

"Sam really did that? Wow, that's nice of her. I hope you thanked her for that. Yeah, course I know you're a well-mannered boy." The blonde sent a meaningful glance at D, who smirked smugly and caught Dana before she could really loose balance. "Listen, buddy, I've gotta tell you something as well. Do you remember my journey to Japan and who I met there?"

D bit his lip and pulled his daughter closer. How would Chris react? He really hoped the boy would be able to cope with the news. He hoped he wouldn't hate him afterwards. Chris loved him, sure, but his loyalty was to his brother. D wouldn't want it otherwise, but still, he was afraid. Chris had become kind of a son to him as well, and if he wouldn't like Dana, then…

Leon sensed his fear and took one of his hands, pressing it hard. He smiled at D and the kami relaxed. Leon would know what to say and do. After all, Chris was his brother.

"Yeah, course I don't think you'd have forgotten I found the Count there again. Just wanted to make sure. But I didn't tell you all."

Chris silenced. He sensed the weight of the situation. Leon took another deep breath. "The Count's back in America, Chris. In fact, he's sitting right beside me at the moment."

The boy screamed so loud Dana startled and stared at the receiver with wide eyes. She'd not yet gotten used to the strange technique. Every time D phoned Leon and let her talk to her father, she looked around as if searching him inside the shop.

"He's back! He's really back?! Oh, can I please come visit? Please, please, please, brother, I wanna come visit him!"

The elder laughed relieved. "I don't think he'll say no, Chris. But before you come visit, there's something else you should know." The pressure on D's hand increased while Chris silenced again. "There's someone new in the pet shop, lil'bro. No, not a pet. In fact, the Count has a daughter, Chris. And I've got one, too."

The boy was quiet. Then he spoke up meekly. "The Count has a daughter? But – can I come visit then?"

Leon sighed silently. "Of course you can come visit, Chris. We just wanted you to know before that Dana's here now. We want you to come here. I want you to meet Dana, and D does, too. I mean, she's your niece. You should get to know her."

Another silence, even longer this time. D pressed Leon's hand. Dana watched her fathers curiously and a little confused. She made a small sound, wanting to get their attention, but it was fixed on the receiver. So she climbed down from D's lap, the kami helping her absent-mindedly, and went to find Pon-chan.

"Chris? Are you still there?" Leon asked after a while. He heard a strange sound at the other end.

"What do you mean, she's my niece? Why is the Count's daughter my niece?" Chris asked, sounding both confused and meek.

D wanted to take the receiver, but Leon shook his head and held on to it."Well, okay, I didn't explain good, did I? Sorry, Chris. Well, you see, the kid the Count has – it's my kid as well. We've got a kid together."

"But – isn't the Count a man? You always said he's a man, and men can't get babies."

Leon cleared his throat. "Yeah, Chris, but the Count's special. He can get children, even though he is a guy."

Chris accepted that without protest. Leon hadn't expected otherwise, though he was relieved all the same. He really didn't want to discuss D's anatomic peculiarities with his little brother on the phone.

"Oh, wow!" the boy said breathless. "You mean, you _really_ have a kid together? Like Mom and Dad have Sam and Josie?"

Now the elder blushed while D hid a giggle behind his hand. "Yeah, you got it, buddy. Just like that. I'm the father, and D's the – mother."

"Wow." Chris still sounded dazed. "T-chan's never gonna believe you have a kid."

Now even Leon's mouth twitched. Tetsu, who had been lying beside D on the sofa, raised his head and grumbled, "Wish it was that easy, buddy!" His master chuckled, mismatched eyes twinkling.

"Chris, T-chan's here," the elder reminded his brother. "He knows Dana since she was born. We would like you to come here for her birthday, if you want to. That would be in your school holidays. You wanna come?"

There was a howl in the receiver, and Leon quickly put some distance between it and his ear, grinning broadly. He guessed the squeaking sound beneath the cries of joy were the springs of Chris' bed on which he was probably jumping up and down at the moment.

"You got a kid with the Count!" the younger Orcot screamed into the receiver. "You really got a kid with the Count! I'm an uncle!"

"Yeah, Chris, you are." Leon laughed, relieved. "Congratulations, buddy."

"Why do I have to wait till the holidays?! I wanna see her! I wanna see your baby!" Chris yelled. D smiled brightly and sighed softly, relieved as well.

"Whoa, Chris, make slow!" Leon tried to thwart his brother. "Dana's not really a baby anymore, she's already two years old. Well, she will be when you come visit. And we want you to come in the holidays because your parents won't be happy if we keep you out of school."

"I'll talk to Mom, really! Please, brother, I wanna come!" the boy pleaded, but the elder was firm.

"No, Chris, not before your parents said yes. Is Aunt Mary home? I have to talk to her about it anyway."

"Okay," Chris gave in and jumped down from his bed. "You really have a kid!"

Leon laughed again. "Yes, we do. It's wow, ain't it? I couldn't believe it myself at first."

"But when did you get one?" the younger asked clambering down the stairs and calling for his mother on the way down.

Leon shrugged and carefully chose his words. "D got pregnant before he left America, Chris. Shortly after you went back with Sam and Josie. He got the baby while he was in Berlin."

"But that's long ago!" Chris sounded astonished.

"Yeah, it is. Listen, Chris, I think it's better if we explain to you when you're here. It's kind of difficult over the phone, and I think D wants to tell you some things himself."

"Okay."

Leon could hear someone in the background and guessed it was his aunt. His suspicion was right.

"Mom, Leon wants to talk to you. He wants me to come visit him, because the Count's back and he's got a baby!" Chris spilled at once and Leon cramped his hand around D's unwillingly. Perhaps he should have told his brother he wanted to tell his aunt himself.

"We're gonna make it," he said quietly, although whether he wanted to reassure D, who had paled slightly, or himself he wasn't sure.

The woman took the phone from her excited nephew and spoke, sounding suspicious.

"Leon, what is Chris talking about? He cannot be serious, can he? Please tell me that Chinese isn't back in America."

Not a good start at all. Leon took a deep breath. "Sorry, Aunt Mary, but he is."

Silence at the other end. Then: "Chris, go outside and play in the garden for a bit. I have to talk to your brother. Alone." His aunt's voice tolerated no opposition. Chris protested still, but then a door closed and Leon knew she was alone now.

"Leon, are you crazy? We've had enough trouble with that Chinese and the stories Chris keeps telling about him and his strange shop. Why in all heavens is he back, and, more important, why should we let our son come near him ever again?"

The blonde took another deep breath. "Well, because he has a child. Or better, _we_ have a child. He and I, I mean. We have got a daughter."

He counted the seconds. At twenty he wondered if he should call an ambulance, but then Mary spoke again. "Leon, is this some kind of weird joke? Are you drunk? Have you finally gone mad or what?"

D's hand was pressing his so hard he could barely feel it anymore. Leon motioned for him to come closer, and D willingly climbed into his lap, hiding his face in Leon's shoulder. He could feel the kami's uneven breath.

"No, Aunt Mary, I'm not. Neither drunk, nor mad, and I'm not joking. It's as I said. The Count has got a kid, and I'm the father. Listen," he cut her off before she could start, "it's not like you think. I know we all thought he is a guy, but he isn't. He's a hermaphrodite woman, you know, one of those women who look really male, but aren't male at all. He's a woman, just like you. Only without bosom."

Mary was silent again. "Why does she pretend to be a man, then?" she asked, sounding surprisingly calm and collected. "And why do you have a child with her?"

Leon felt the kiss on his cheek. D's mismatched eyes were bright and pleading. "Well, he pretends to be a man because – listen, I don't wanna go into details, but there was this one guy, and he – didn't treat him too well." If Mary hadn't been Mary, Leon would simply have told her that D had been raped. But it was just as well. At least so he didn't really lie to her, though of course he knew exactly that she would reach the wrong conclusion.

To his great relief, her manner changed almost at once. "Oh dear, the poor thing. I didn't know that. I'm so sorry, Leon. I – well, I guess it's not surprising, then…"

Well, that had been the first hurdle. Leon sighed quietly and proceeded. "Yeah, well, how should you know? I didn't know either, for a very long time. As to why we have a kid, it's pretty easy. I don't really know why, but he told me the truth, and well, things went their way. But he was pretty frightened and went away without telling me where to, and then he discovered he was pregnant. He didn't tell me, though, because he thought I'd take the news pretty bad. I only got to know when I went to Japan and found him there. We worked things out and he came back, and now I'd like Chris to meet my kid. Please, Aunt Mary, can he come?"

"Yes, of course." His aunt still sounded kind of stunned. "Well, I do certainly not approve of what he did, but I guess it is kind of understandable considering what he – she – went through. I will talk to your uncle about it, but I'll make sure Chris can come visit you in his holidays. What's her name? Will you bring her to us, too?"

A heavy weight tumbled from Leon's shoulders and he sighed, making no attempt to conceal how relieved he was. "Course I will, when things have settled down a bit. Her name's Dana, she's nearly two years old. Thanks, Aunt Mary. Really, thanks. I – it's not easy."

Her voice was soft when she replied. "I understand, Leon. It's okay, really. Congratulations to you and her."

"Thanks." He hesitated. "Please, don't call D she. He's – still kind of picky in that respect. Perhaps it will wear off with time, but at the moment…"

"Okay. Then congratulations to him. And hello to your baby, too. I can't believe it. You're a father. Good lord, my nephew is a father." Mary sounded as dazed as Chris, and distinctly delighted. "If only Dana could be here right now. She would be so happy for you."

Leon's mouth was dry. "Yeah." He tried to ignore D, whose head had shot up and who was staring at him with wide eyes. "Well, I have to get going, Aunt Mary. Say hello to Uncle Arthur and Sam and Josie. I will call in a few days and then we can talk about when Chris is going to come, okay?"

"I will tell them. Bye, Leon. And enjoy your time with your child. They grow up so quickly, you won't believe it. Before you've noticed, they're all grown up and have kids themselves."

Mary hung up and Leon carefully placed the receiver on the telephone again, aware that D was following his each and every movement.

Finally he looked into the kami's discoloured eyes. "What?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"I did not know," D said faintly, so silent Leon had to strain to hear him. "I am sorry, Leon. I did not know that when I chose her name."

The blonde smiled shakily. "It's okay, D. You couldn't have known that my mom's name was Dana too. I like it. I never planned to name my kid after her, but hey, it's fine with me. If she turns out like my mom did, I can't wish for anything better."

The kami bit his lip. "But I chose the name because you once said you liked it. I thought – I don't know what I was thinking. I should have asked myself why you would say such a thing…" His voice trailed off. He seemed to be genuinely distressed.

Leon wrapped his arms around his waist and kissed him. "Well, if you named her that because you remembered me saying something, it's all the better. I told you, I don't mind. It fits her. Dana Orcot sounds pretty. My mom was beautiful and Dana will be, too. It's okay."

D calmed down a bit, but he still looked worried. Leon sighed. "Well, okay, I _was_ kinda shocked when I realised you'd named my kid Dana. But what the hell? Like Aunt Mary said, my mom would be happy for me. She'd probably feel honoured the baby got her name."

D looked into his eyes and smiled a bit unsure. "If you say so."

"Yeah, I do," the blonde said firmly and pulled him closer to kiss him again. But a loud cry in the other room stopped him.

"Daddy!"

He sighed and stood, D slipping down from his lap in the process. "I better go look what the little princess wants this time," he joked and went out. Tetsu, who had slipped under the sofa unnoticed, came out and looked at Leon's back.

"Wow. I really didn't expect that," he commented, and D saw respect in his eyes.

"Me neither. I should have guessed it, though. Only something special could have made Leon say a name is beautiful. But I didn't think," he said quietly.

"There's more to him than one's eyes can see," T-chan said, still staring at the human who was just scooping his daughter up from the floor. "Perhaps he wasn't a bad choice at all. I mean, you could have made someone far worse Dana's father."

D's eyes rested on Leon with so much love the totetsu thought he'd burst any second. "I know, Tetsu. I have truly been blessed."

* * *

A/N: One more test done, only two to go (not to mention the three essays I've yet to write. Such fun without a working computer!). Since I was fed up with learning, I reread this chapter instead. Hope you had fun reading it :-) (Everybody who suspected beforehand that Dana got the name of Leon's mum, please say hi. Everybody who thinks it's stupid, please say so, too.)

Both of my computers are still broken. Don't expect the next update before the end of next week, and don't expect answers to reviews before I've got my own computer back. I apologise again DX


	20. Second Try

Warning: this chapter contains sex. Practically from the beginning. So please, if you don't like, don't read (or if you want to spare yourself the horrible experience of reading slash written by me -.-).

**Second try**

"You know that this is kinda weird?"

D turned around surprised and looked at his lover inquiringly, leaning against one of the kitchen counters. It was Saturday, Leon had just come home and Dana was in her bed, having a midday nap. So D had decided that he wanted to bake a cake for Sunday, since Leon would be off-duty tomorrow, thanks to having done a night-shift the day before.

"What's weird?" he asked, turning back to weighing the flour.

Leon shrugged. "This here. I mean, I've been in your kitchen back when Chris was here, but you never cooked while I was there. It's somehow – dunno, as if we'd been a married couple for years." He grinned. "Well, according to Jill, we have been a married couple before we even met. 'Cause we started fighting like one right away."

D wanted to reply something and then found he was blushing furiously, much to his embarrassment. _Married couple._ How many times had he dreamed about that without ever expecting it to become reality?

"D? Why in hell are you blushing?" Leon chuckled and wrapped his arms around D from behind. The young kami stiffened and blushed even more when Leon's voice whispered right into his ear. "Are you thinking that we still have got to do the actual _married_ stuff?"

"Leon!" D hissed, but didn't move. "We're in the kitchen!"

Again the blonde chuckled. "So what? You know, one needs a change every now and then before it gets boring."

Now that was too far. Determinedly D freed himself and returned to his cake. "I do not need a change," he replied icily. "I've had enough changes in the past months, thank you very much."

The silence behind him was pretty nonplussed.

"You mean – D, you don't mean that I – actually was your first, do you?"

The words made D wince, and of course Leon was too observant that he could've talked his way out of this anymore. "I was. Oh freak. D, please tell me I'm wrong here. Please tell me I'm not your first relationship."

The young kami concentrated hard on stirring the mixture. "I would be lying, Detective," he answered stiffly. "You know my history. Do you really think that I would give myself to any human if not for a good reason?"

He turned half to glance at the blonde. Leon was leaning against the counter again and his face expressed disbelief and unease.

"Well, I kind of guessed you weren't as experienced as you always act," he started hesitantly. "But I never actually thought you – that I – I mean, you weren't a virgin anymore when we slept with each other, were you?"

His voice held a pleading note, and for a second D considered telling him that he hadn't deflowered him. But he didn't want to lie to Leon, and, after all, it had been D's decision and not Leon's. "I was," he said and blushed slightly.

Leon stared. "You're kidding," he said at last, blue eyes absolutely unbelieving. D averted his face and hid behind the dark curtain of his hair.

"I am not, Leon," he said stiffly and tried to will the blood down again.

The blonde was so nonplussed he didn't even realise how embarrassed the kami was. It seemed his mind still had to work around that new piece of information. "Geez, D, it must've been awful!" he exclaimed, positively shocked. "Shit, your first time – and then that!"

The Chinese squirmed uncomfortably. "I assure you, it was not as bad as you think it was. Actually, I found it quite – delightful," he murmured and tried to look anywhere, but not into Leon's face. The blue eyes were searching his face carefully and he knew that by now the human had learned how to read his face, even if no one else would've noticed anything.

"No, it wasn't. Jesus, D…" Leon sighed deeply and raked through his hair. "I never wanted to fuck this up for you. I'm so sorry."

D was really uncomfortable by now, and he always became snippy when uncomfortable. "Detective, I was the one who seduced you, not vice-versa. I was aware that human males are not in their best shape when they are under the influence of alcohol, and I was willing to put up with it all the same. You can say that I got what I deserved, and since you've got not memories of it anyway, you should leave the decision about the quality to me as well."

But the blonde wasn't convinced. He still stared at D, clearly feeling everything but well. "You've got nothing to compare it to, for a first, if you were a virgin. And then you got pregnant, too. Good lord, your first time and I was drunk and got you pregnant… How could you even give birth to Dana?"

"She is my child as well!" D snapped. He was getting truly angry by now. Why couldn't Leon just let it be? He had enjoyed himself, even though the blonde apparently thought it to be some kind of crime that his 'first time' had not been an earth-shaking event. Really, why did humans fuss about that so much? Animals didn't care if it was their first or tenth time, they just followed their nature. Why should he expect to do it any different?

"I'm not as delicate as you always assume I am. If I may remind you, for about the thousandth time, I am responsible for everything. Not you. I. If I didn't have fun, it's my own fault. And let that be the end of it."

He turned away, fuming with rage, and blinked angrily. Why were there suddenly tears in his eyes? It couldn't be… why should he cry just because Leon talked like that? There was absolutely no reason for it…

Warm arms were slung around D from behind and a soft voice was murmuring in his ear. "D, I never want to hear that nonsense again. Never ever. Dana's here, she's a cutie, let that be the end of it as well. And I am sorry I screwed up, whether you think it's your fault or not. Let me make it up to you."

A shudder ran down D's spine. Suddenly there seemed to be too little air in the room. His body leaned into Leon's stronger body even though his mind wanted to escape his grip. But something in him had taken over control, just like on the evening he had conceived.

"D, baby, c'mon. It'll be better this time, I promise. Just let me do it, okay?" Leon's voice resonated in his body. The kami could feel it on his back and he arched slightly into the embrace, shivering again. He felt the blonde smile and his fingers started caressing the front of D's dress. "Just leave it to me, baby," he whispered, and, without any further warning, took D up and carried him to the bedroom. The kami wriggled around on his arms.

"Detective!" he complained. "We're not in a bad movie here! And I've got a cake to bake, and a shop to tend to, and Dana will wake soon…"

Leon chuckled, and the look in his blue eyes was enough to shut D up. "Dana can busy herself alone for some time, T-chan's probably going to finish that cake for you and the shop can wait a little while longer," he said and pushed open the doors to D's bedroom. "As to the bad movies, as far as I recall, you were the one watching them all the time, and also the one sighing and getting starry eyes at the happy end."

D's resistance was merely show, but he still acted insulted. "Why do you even think that I might want to sleep with you now?" he snapped, gliding from Leon's arms onto the silken bed sheets. The blonde shrugged and climbed up besides him, opening the first frog of his cheongsam.

"Dunno. Perhaps the fact that you did nothing to stop me?" he grinned and bent to kiss the slender white throat. D decided he had to find out more about his body sometime soon. How could it be that he wasn't able to resist the human's touch even though he'd been mad and embarrassed just a moment before?

"And the fact that you drank that strange-smelling tea this morning and wouldn't let anyone else get a cup of it," Leon murmured against D's skin. "And also the fact that you were pretty pissed when Dana stopped us two nights back…"

A shudder ran through D's body.

"You know, by the way you behaved, I couldn't guess that you'd only had sex once," the blonde continued, sounding slightly confused. "I mean, sure, you were shy and all, but it is kind of weird, this whole situation…"

"I still fail to see the weirdness," D whispered and, to calm his hammering heart, tugged at Leon until the human complied and slipped up again and kissed him deeply. And then opened his cheongsam frog by frog, gliding down along his body in the process, making D feel delighted and strange at the same time, because wasn't he supposed to give as good as he got?, but apparently Leon was not planning on letting him do anything, judging by the way he was holding D's hands pinned to the sheets. So the kami had not much other choice than arch up against his lover, relishing in the touches, feathery kisses and the way Leon's blue eyes gleamed whenever he looked up at him.

But suddenly the human stopped his ministrations and laid down besides D, tucking him tight into his arms. "If you really don't want to, we won't do it," he whispered, the hot air brushing over D's ear and throat. He hid his face in the curve of Leon's neck for a moment, trying to catch his breath again.

"What makes you think I do not want this?" he asked, breathing in deeply, catching Leon's scent and endeavouring it.

The blonde chuckled. "You just said it. And besides, you look pretty much as if you're afraid."

D's face caught fire. "I am not," he softly replied. "Not really…"

"'I'm not really afraid' looks different, D. C'mon, you think I'm gonna hurt you? Or do anything you don't want me to do?"

"No," the young kami mumbled, trying to find words to explain. "But – the first time – I – as you know, I am not experienced – I just did anything I thought would work – I had no real control over what I was doing…"

"You've got an autopilot for sex?" Leon held him away to be able to look at his face and D shyly averted his gaze. He didn't want to talk about the first night. "You know that's hot, right? Definitely, absolutely, without any doubt, damn hell hot… To have an autopilot for sex…" Each word was accompanied by a kiss on the neck, shoulder, chest, one of his nipples…

D arched against Leon, his breath speeding up again.

"You can't do anything wrong, baby, not as long as you're having fun," Leon murmured against his nipple, playfully catching it with his teeth, and D felt the last of his reluctance melt like ice in the sunshine. He wrapped one leg around Leon's body and tugged him closer, until he felt the fly of his jeans touch the silk of his own leggings. For a moment, he bit his lip, but then, _you can't do anything wrong_, and he allowed his hands to slip into the waistband of the jeans and under his boxers, and had the triumph of hearing Leon gasp for air for a second.

Then he very gently bit down on D's neck, and he skidded even closer, feeling Leon's chest work under his t-shirt. One of his hands left the jeans and tugged at the hem. "Take this off!" he ordered.

"Little domina, huh?" Leon teased, and lifted himself to take the shirt off, offering D ample opportunity to throw him over on his back, climb on top and leave a hickey right over Leon's collarbone. Satisfied, he smiled down on it. His. His very own, and he didn't plan to let Leon go again anytime soon.

"You are aware that you are to be held responsible for everything happening from now on?" he whispered, repeating Leon's words from their first night together. The blue eyes seemed to burn right into his skin and his body, setting it on fire, too. D smiled, and knew that though he wanted it to be suggestive, it was also tinted by a bit of shyness.

"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Leon said roughly, his hands slipping under the silk of the gaping cheongsam and grabbing D's waist, hard. "Dammit, you're so thin – I can get you right in my hands…"

D narrowed his eyes to slits, purred. "You will not ever get me if I don't want you to, not even with both of your hands."

For a moment Leon's eyes widened in surprise at the reminder that D, though he seemed to be the dominated, was actually the stronger one here, and the kami feared he'd better not done that, had not reminded Leon of his otherness, but then the hands tightened on his waist and the blonde grinned slyly. "Bet I can," he whispered, tugging D down, just touching his lips with his own, stroking them with every word he spoke. "Bet I can get you, Count D, hide and hair alike."

The shudder that ran through the kami's body was so hard Leon thought the whole bed might shake with it, but then he started kissing him, and the shudders got harder and harder, and he didn't care anymore. Hell, if this bed had squeaking springs, at least they would know before they got to the real deal.

D's hands worked at his fly, opening it hastily, but Leon stilled his movements and instead tugged him down until D had to use his arms for support, and then he reached up, this time exploring with his mouth what his hands had come to know by now, the soft skin of D's chest, the way those sensitive nipples got hard and demanding when he touched them with his tongue and breathed over them. But the best were the sounds D was making. Leon had already noticed that his new lover seemed not to be able to be quiet when touched in certain ways, but he wasn't exactly loud – it was more soft purrs that came from the depths of his throat, and little "mmm"-sounds every now and then, or hasty inhalations when he touched a sensitive spot.

Then he looked up at D's face and thought he was going to have to rethink everything he knew about 'hot'. The kami had closed his eyes in bliss, his head tilted backwards, and his tongue was unconsciously tracing his lips.

"Oh my god!" Leon breathed, and tugged D down to kiss him with wild abandon, this time not protesting when he felt his fly being opened and the jeans slipping over his thighs. D's hands roamed over his chest, his face, through his hair while they kissed, sweet and hard at the same time. Leon got a good hold on the waistband of D's silky pants and the kami obediently lifted up to allow him to throw them to the side, and he rolled them both over, placing his knee between D's legs. _Slow, slow_, _for god's sake_. This wasn't as much D's second time as it was his first. He couldn't go too fast if he wanted this to be better.

So instead of continuing to grope D, Leon stroked his thigh tenderly, causing D's breath to hitch in his throat, then he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on the smooth skin of D's shoulder. The young kami shuddered and pressed himself closer, the leg slipping over Leon's hip and hooking behind his back. They were so close to each other, now, so damn close, and he just wished they could stay like that for a while even though his body was telling him that he was finally getting what he'd wanted for years and that he should take it, but this was so intimate, so sweet, lying here like this, just holding on to each other without doing anything.

D opened his beautiful mismatched eyes and smiled up at him so sweetly Leon's mouth went dry.

"I love you," he whispered and kissed his lover, his human, as thoroughly as he knew how, inching closer still. Distinctly he wondered if they would ever be able to disentangle their bodies again, but truth be told, he wouldn't care if he would have to stay entwined with Leon forever. He felt his lover tense up and heard him make a little almost desperate sound in the back of his throat when D started sucking on his tongue.

Leon tucked him even closer, and then his hand suddenly slipped between D's already spread legs, touching him again at the hidden spot. His fingers were warm. The kami tensed up, too. This feeling was new and delightful, careful in contrast to the wild, dazed intrusion the first time. But he trusted Leon – trusted him to do this good. He'd not hurt him the first time, in spite of his condition, he wouldn't hurt him the second time either…

The need for Leon built with every gentle touch, every kiss. Soon D had forgotten about being afraid, forgotten about thinking and was just feeling, almost unconsciously returning the caresses, clinging to his lover who was breathing hard, too, and tore his head away after a wild kiss. He for his part was almost dazed. D was so responsive, so pliable against him, and even though he knew this was only his second time, he seemed to know exactly where to touch Leon.

"Won't be going to last long if you continue doing that," he whispered, closing his eyes and trying to calm himself.

"You don't need to," D gave back, feeling as if he would die should Leon stop touching him now, and promptly guided him closer to prevent that. The blonde took a deep breath and opened his eyes again, searching the kami's face.

"You're sure you want this?"

D kissed him. "Damn hell sure, Leon."

If it hadn't been so breathless, the sound Leon made at that would have been a chuckle. But as it was, it just told D that he was apparently doing okay. Or rather, quite good.

He willingly complied when Leon rolled him over on his back, placing kisses all over his face. Sweet, delightful, careful, loving…

"Ou!"

Leon stopped at once, looking down on D's face in confusion and worry. "What's the matter? I – did I hurt you?" he panted, desperately hoping he hadn't, but knowing all the same what that little sound meant. D opened his eyes again, which he had kept firmly closed, his brow wrinkled in confusion, too.

"I – I don't know," he whispered and tried to feel inside. "It – it felt like that night – when you took me – just the same…"

The blonde tried very hard to think, but he couldn't come up with more than a baffled, "What?! But you're not a virgin anymore – I mean, Dana…!"

D nodded. "I know," he whispered and his hands started stroking Leon's back. He sighed softly, pleased by the feel of his lover's skin beneath his fingers. "Don't stop, Leon. Don't stop."

The blonde decided that in order not to hurt D any further he should perhaps try to make him really relax, so he leaned down and started kissing his throat again. The kami made soft noises, almost like a cat purring in the sun and his body lost its tension. When Leon was finished bruising his throat, he was moaning and his body offered no more resistance as the blonde carefully slid further in, rather the contrary. D's muscles seemed to pull him inside as if they couldn't wait to feel him completely, and he arched up, slender erection pressing against Leon's abdomen.

"Fuck," the blonde murmured and tried to catch his breath again. D was so tight, so hot, and he was making small movements with his hips, jerking them up a little and then slowly pulling away again, thus causing Leon to shiver all over. He moaned. "Stop it, D, stop it if you don't want me to come right now!" he panted into the kami's ear and was rewarded with fingernails scraping over the skin of his back, just enough to sting. His cock responded at once and jerked inside D. "Ooooh, you bastard!"

"One would really think you'd be more polite to me," D husked into his ear and grabbed his ass. Leon wanted to answer, he really wanted, but the feel of D's slim hands on his ass, squeezing him and pressing him inside this wetness even more made him forget any repartee he might have come up with. Instead he just moaned, much to the kami's delight.

"Considering that I am the mother of your child, and presently having sex with you, I mean," he continued, sounding slightly breathless. Leon decided that he really had to shut him up.

"It is, after all, only my second time and I don't think you are supposed to insult your… oooooh!" His head fell back as Leon pushed inside, hard. Forget about hurting D, as long as the guy could talk like that, he was perfectly fine.

"It's called 'dirty talk', D, and some people like it very much," he whispered into D's ear and pushed a second time, rendering the kami completely speechless. His arms sneaked around Leon's shoulders and he arched his back up to touch as much of his lover as possible. "Though I prefer not talking at all," Leon concluded, saw D's mouth open in a silent moan and decided he'd be good on his word.

Their tongues found each other, hungrily, battled for dominance without really wanting to win, just enjoying the fight as they'd enjoyed their many other fights. D made soft noises in the back of his throat as Leon slowed down his pushes, having succeeded in stopping him talk, and slid in and out in almost languid moves. He tensed up, clinging to Leon, scraping his nails over the blonde's back and winding his arms and legs around him.

It came silently, building slowly in both of them, and they held each other until the last wave had passed, thoroughly exhausted and happy. Nothing could be more right than lying here together, pressed together as tight as was possible…

Finally Leon wanted to roll down. But D wouldn't let him. He wrapped arms and legs around the body on top of his even more tightly and effectively forced the blonde to lay down on him. He did so, but felt uncomfortable. The kami was so delicate, so fragile and he felt so heavy.

"Stay right where you are," D murmured as if sensing his lover's thoughts. He shuddered pleasantly. "It feels so good – your body on mine, in me…"

Leon grinned and allowed himself to relax a little bit. He placed a kiss in the little hollow between D's jaw and throat and D mm-ed. His fingers painted invisible patterns on Leon's back while a deep breath heaved up his chest. It sounded utterly content.

"So, I guess this was better than first time?" the blonde murmured into his ear and took the lobe between his teeth to give it a tender bite. Again D shuddered.

"Yes. You made up for every mistake you ever made in your life, Leon," he purred and the human had to suppress an amused laugh.

"Glad I did it right this time." Then his brow furrowed and he propped himself up on his elbows to look at the kami. "I'm sorry I hurt you, though. What did I do?"

D's hands were still stroking his back lazily. "Oh, that. Well, I guess you're the first human in some centuries to deflower someone else twice," he answered.

Leon stared. "You are joking," he then said, absolutely unbelieving.

Now the kami opened his eyes and chuckled at the expression on his face. "I am not 100% sure, but I think I'm not. We will probably find some blood on the sheets if we look for it."

Leon's blue eyes searched his face, but they found nothing but honesty there. He cleared his throat. "D, you gave birth to a child. If you haven't lied to me about _how_ you gave birth to Dana, then there's no way you still could've been a virgin."

D was busy gazing at his face and tracing his hand through his hair, and answered a little absent-mindedly. "Oh, there is, Leon. I didn't expect it either. But when my body returned to original state after I stopped feeding Dana, it must've returned to real original state, not only to being two genders in one."

He smiled right up into those blue eyes. "My grandfather said it would resume original state, but I didn't think it would do so literally. But as you know, we have a great capacity to recover, and giving birth is a rather important change to the whole body, other than simple sex. I guess grandfather didn't think I would ever find myself in a situation when it would be necessary to know and so he didn't mention I would become a virgin again after giving birth."

Leon shook his head and lay down on D again. "God, your species _is_ weird," he murmured. D's smile widened.

"Perhaps," he answered. "But I am rather pleased that I was deflowered by you both times."

Leon chuckled into his shoulder. "Yeah, and this being only your second time, too. God, how many girls would give something to have a second 'first time'."

"I am not a girl."

"No, you're not," the blonde conceded and caressed D's cheek. "But that doesn't matter. You're just right."

The sweet smile he got for that told him he'd also done well in the talking department today. If they could go on like that, this here might work out after all.

Leon fervently hoped it would.

* * *

A/N: Oh damn, I don't only suck at writing children's books, I also suck at writing slash (more or less slash, since D's a half-girl). You know what, I'm just going to hide in shame, and you... uh, you... go and read Telanu or someone else who writes good porn, okay?

But, I've got **good news**: after a felt eternity of cursing and screaming with frustration I'm finally online again, meaning, I got a **new computer**! I'm not going to go into details how I got my hands on one... I'm definitely very skilled in repairing my bicycle chain now. And I also learned a lot about the set-up of my city. And about how to get off a street so quickly the bus won't hit you. I truly believe they're betting on how many students on bicycles they're going to get today...

Anyway, my exams are almost over, too, so I should be able to trigger a temporal search in the subspace continuum and recreate the same kind of time warp that brought us here in the first place... *hrm* Sorry. Too much Star Trek. I'm definitely so fucked up... See, that's what university does to people!

Anyway, like I promised, I will now set to work and reply to your reviews. Thank you all for them! :-)

BC: Popcorn is always a good idea, even if I'm not sure you're going to need it in this part of the story again... ;-P *hums* Plans in my head, plans in my head... now I only need the time to work them out *g* Uh, I had a suspicion before my laptop broke - I think it was Brazil? I'm so bad at geography I should be shot on the spot -.-


	21. The second birthday

**The second birthday**

"D?"

The kami opened his eyes and looked at his lover sleepily. "What is it, Leon? Aren't you satisfied?" he asked, nearly yawning. As delightful as their newfound occupation in bed was, it was also quite exhausting, especially because of a certain small result that always chose to wake up just when they'd finished and were about to drift off to sleep.

The blonde smiled down on him and threaded his hand through D's hair. "I am. How should I not be, silly? It just gets better and better every time."

D's eyes twinkled with mischief. "I should hope so. But I am very tired, Leon, and it's already quite late. You will have to work tomorrow and Dana will probably wake at half past seven again. We should try to sleep soon."

"I know." Leon kissed his lover and tucked him closer into his arms. "But Dana's what I want to talk about. Well, not exactly she, but her birthday. I mean, I know which day it is. At least, I think I know. But what will we do? Do you celebrate children's birthdays?"

D blinked a few times and was surprised himself as he discovered something. "I do not know when exactly her birthday is," he confessed, both amused and nonplussed. "I know the night, but as we were flying over the ocean and through the time zones, I'm afraid I cannot really recall which day it was. We didn't celebrate her first birthday. I never thought about that."

Leon was quiet for a moment and then he chuckled. "Oh D, that's just so you! Poor kid, not getting a birthday party because her father doesn't know when she was born!"

"I know when she was born! I just don't know which date it was! It's not that important, after all. Dates, I mean. Humans just made them up to be able to measure time," D defended himself and propped himself up on his arms, escaping Leon's grip. The blonde grinned, not rising to the bait.

"Well, okay, then what will we do now? Not celebrate at all? Choose one day? Or what?"

"Do you want a celebration?" D asked and slipped back. No reason to stay so uncomfortable above Leon when he could as well lie down on him.

His lover shrugged. "Well, yes. I mean, I don't know. If you don't want one, it's okay, too. But birthdays are cool if you're a kid. I don't know."

D sighed softly. "We do celebrate birthdays. Well, we did, in the old times. Since it's only three of us left, we stopped it. I do not know why. My grandfather never told me. I do not even know when I was born. Dana is different. I see no reason why we shouldn't celebrate her birthday."

"Well, it's just – I'd like to invite Jill. And Chris will be here, too, so it'd be kinda like a family party…" Leon's voice trailed off, unsure. "If you want that," he added meekly. Warmth swept through D's body and he sighed softly.

"Yes, I do."

Even if he didn't consider Jill as much family as Leon did, he saw no reason to object. She was a good friend of Leon's. Perhaps one day, if they talked a little more, spend a little more time together, she might become his friend, too. Once he would have deemed it unlikely, after all, the woman was a human.

But once he would have deemed Leon his lover unlikely, too.

"When will Chris arrive here, anyway?" he inquired, rolling on top of Leon completely and looking down on him.

"Three days from tomorrow. Aunt Mary said he'll fly alone, well, under guidance, but alone. So I'm gonna take the day off so I can pick him up. Can he stay in the shop or do I have to get my couch ready?"

D chuckled. "Of course he can stay here, Leon. The shop is big enough to host much more than one more child."

"Okay. He'll want to stay here anyway," Leon conceded and yawned. "Just wanted to make sure. Have to ask Jill in time, else she'll have a date or something."

The kami hesitated, but he felt he could perhaps now ask something he'd been busy with for a while. "Why do you still keep that apartment anyway?" he asked shyly. "It's not like you'd use it anymore. You've been staying at the shop day and night for the past weeks."

Leon was silent.

"Are you asking me to move in with you?" he said then and turned his head to look at D. He hid his face behind dark hair and nodded.

"You mean, like a real couple?"

Another shy nod.

"Even if people will talk?"

D sighed deeply. "They are probably already talking. It is only sensible, isn't it? You're here the whole time anyway …"

He felt the grin and the blonde settled more into the bed. "Well, fine with me. I can move in. But not right now. I'll have to keep it anyway a few months longer until I can terminate." He yawned again. "Okay, I'm tired. Let's talk about all the other stuff tomorrow, okay?"

The kami was about to say yes when he heard the soft cry from the room next door and grimaced, wrestling out of Leon's embrace. "You go to sleep, Leon. I will take care of Dana."

The blonde sighed deeply and got up, too. "You don't really think she'll sleep again before she's seen I'm here, do you?"

The corners of D's mouth twitched. "No, not really," he admitted and handed Leon a bathrobe. "Who will be carrying her around tonight?"

"You. I did yesterday. It's your turn."

* * *

D was just dressing Dana when Leon clambered down the stairs. "Gotta get Chris from the airport. You wanna come along?" he asked, obviously in a hurry. Dana laughed and hopped up and down.

"Chris!" she cried. Pon-chan besides her on the changing table hopped up and down, too.

"He's coming back!" she called happily.

Leon grinned. "Yeah, he is. So now, anyone interested in fetching him?"

D finished buttoning up Dana's shirt. "I think it would be better if you went alone, Leon. I don't know if we would reach the airport in time if I have to get Dana ready," he replied calmly, but his bright smile betrayed his outer calm. His lover nodded and waved at them, striding out the door.

"Right. Pon-chan, you coming along? What about Tetsu?"

"Yeah!" the raccoon yelled and quickly followed Leon. D turned back to his daughter and rubbed his nose on hers.

"Your uncle is coming, Dana, isn't that great? Chris is a wonderful child. I really hope you will be nice to him. Do you promise you will behave when he is here?" he asked the child kindly.

Dana held up her hand. "Swear!" she said earnestly and D chuckled.

"Oh my, Leon has taught you something there. Well, come here, we'll prepare tea while your father picks him up. He will be hungry after the flight, surely."

* * *

The woman at the desk looked a little irritated when Leon arrived, raccoon and totetsu in tow. "Has the flight from New York already come in?" he asked breathless. She looked at her computer and nodded. "The flight arrived twenty minutes ago. The passengers are still deboarding. Is there someone you are waiting for?"

"Yes, my brother. His name's Chris Orcot," Leon said and absent-mindedly placed Pon-chan on his shoulders because the raccoon had climbed up his leg.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "I've got him here, sir. Would you please show me some identification? He's travelling under guidance."

Leon almost sighed, but then, Aunt Mary had told him they wanted to be sure Chris arrived in L.A. in once piece. It was just typical Uncle Arthur. So he fished out his badge and showed it to her. Her demeanour changed at once. "Of course, Detective Orcot. Over here, please. As soon as he comes, I will send him to you." She smiled brightly and batted her eyelashes.

Tetsu looked at the woman critically and Leon quickly grabbed his fur to take him to the row of plastic seats. "C'mon, she's nothing to munch on, T-chan," he said to the grumpy totetsu.

"I didn't want to eat her anyway. She smells of too much perfume," he snapped and stuck his nose up. But then his face lit up, because a small figure came running down the aisle, waving with both arms.

"Brother! T-chan! Pon-chan! I'm here!" Chris yelled and flung himself at first at Leon, then at the totetsu and at last cuddled Pon-chan until the raccoon looked kind of dizzy with the lack of air.

The elder laughed and ruffled his hair. "Yeah, we noticed, buddy. C'mon, let's get back to the shop, D and Dana are already waiting for you. You're ready to meet your niece?"

Chris' blue eyes were bright. "Course I am! I'll be a good uncle, I promise! I'll show her how to paint and I'll take her to Philippe, and to Honlon and everyone!"

Leon chuckled and led the way to the car. "Well, Honlon already knows about her, Chris. She's Dana's elder sister, after all."

"Oh." Chris looked a little bit disappointed at that, but then he brightened again. "But I bet she's never been to Philippe's room!"

The elder smiled. "Not as far as I know. And I bet she's never played any of the games you used to play with Honlon. You can show her those, too."

"Yeah!" Chris' face showed firm determination. Leon grinned again, glad that his younger brother had taken the news so well. He didn't know if he'd have reacted that way. Guessing by his first reaction back in Japan, probably not.

The boy talked all the way back to the pet shop excitedly, but when they finally reached it, he fell silent again. Leon gently nudged him down the stairs, ignoring the stares the owners of the other stores were giving them. "What's the matter, buddy? You don't need to be shy. Dana's a sweetie."

"But –" Chris looked up at him with begging blue eyes. "I'm not just a visitor, am I, brother?"

Leon's heart thumped hard for a second. He knelt down so he was on his brother's level and looked him deeply into the eyes. "No, Chris, you're not. You'll never be just a visitor. You're family. We're all family now, you, D, Dana and me. Whaddya think, we gonna be a good one?"

The younger brightened again. "Yeah! We're gonna rock!" Leon bit his lip, hard, and pushed open the doors to the pet shop.

"We're here!" he called inside and was at once greeted with blasting noise. It seemed that each and every pet had come to the front room to welcome Chris, but they all made way respectfully when D stepped out of the kitchen, a bright smile on his lips.

"Christopher! Welcome back!"

Leon just rolled his eyes as his brother flung himself into the Count's arms as well. Tetsu grinned and nudged him. "Didn't dislike it when he did it with you," he murmured teasingly, but Leon ignored him. He had spotted the little girl hiding shyly behind the curtain to the kitchen and strode over, coaxing his daughter forward. The Count let go of Chris and shoved him a little closer to Leon, who smiled at his brother.

"And this is Dana, Chris. Say hello to your uncle, sweetie."

The children's eyes met, Dana's shy and curious, Chris' curious and elder-brotherly. "Hi Dana. I'm your uncle Chris," he said and extended his hand.

The girl hesitated and Leon nudged her as well. "C'mon, shake hands with him, honey."

Dana leaned back into him, but took the boy's hand. "Oh, how cute!" Pon-chan sighed. Kanan snorted, but she looked content as well. Leon was the one who decided it was getting way too fluffy for him and clapped his hands.

"So, D, you got anything prepared? Because I think Chris is hungry. Aren't you, buddy?"

"A bit," the younger confessed and led Dana to the table. The girl followed after a questioning glance to D, who nodded encouragingly.

"The Count makes really good sandwiches," Chris told her and climbed onto the sofa, helping the girl up, too. "My mom's are good, too, but his are better."

"Good thing Aunt Mary didn't hear that," Leon murmured and went into the kitchen, closely followed by D. "So, seems those two are going to be friends, huh?"

D looked back at uncle and niece, surrounded by pets. "I do hope so," he answered and took a plate with quite a few sandwiches. "After all, they are both children in the garden Eden. They should have many things in common."

* * *

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Dana, happy birthday to you!"

Leon, watching the pets and Chris sing for his child, chuckled and nudged D. "Look, Dana's singing too," he whispered. "We'll have to explain to her that it's her birthday."

The kami smiled and took the cake to carry it over to the small table. "I don't mind her singing at all," he replied and placed it in front of his daughter.

Chris squealed. "Cool, with real candles! Look Dana! You've gotta blow them out and wish for something!"

The girl looked at him questioningly, so he slipped down from the sofa and showed his niece. Her face brightened and with a mighty effort, she blew out the two candles, making the pets break into applause and Leon laugh with joy. D stared at him in wonder, a strange expression of surprise and love shining on his face. T-chan and Shuko exchanged a glance.

"Way too fluffy!" the totetsu murmured and the dragon chuckled.

Chris was oblivious to his friend's complaint. He beamed with pride and instructed his niece further. "And now you've got a wish! What do you want?" he asked, ignoring that the wish should be kept a secret.

Dana didn't have to think much. "Cake!" she demanded, making her human father laugh even more. D pinched him gently and cut his daughter a slice of cake.

"I think it's a good wish," he said.

Leon chuckled. "Well, of course you would think that," he replied.

"I would not!" the young kami protested and his lover grinned broadly.

"Course not, never. You would never think a cake's a good present. Except you like it all the same when I bring one for you."

"That's just polite, since you are drinking my tea all the time," D gave back quickly. They continued to bicker, not noticing that Chris was watching them with wonder in his blue eyes.

"They're different to before," he whispered to Pon-chan. His friend smiled up at him, he knew she was, though all he could see were the whiskers besides her nose twitching.

"Of course they are, Chris," she answered. "They aren't enemies anymore. And they have Dana now. Of course things had to change to make that work."

The boy hunched his shoulders slightly and stared at his own slice of cake. "They're a family now, aren't they?" he asked very quietly.

D's fine hearing picked up on the sad note in his voice and he turned to him, smiling. "Chris, is anything wrong?" he inquired, concerned the younger Orcot might not be happy with something though not knowing what, since he'd been to busy arguing with the elder to catch Chris' words.

Chris smiled back at him, but his blue eyes told another story. Leon had also perked up and was watching his brother alertly. "No, I'm alright, Count," he replied, turning his eyes to his plate again.

"Would you help me fetch something to drink from the kitchen, please?" D asked, signalling Leon to have a look at Dana while he was talking to Chris. The blonde obeyed and went to sit besides his daughter, scolding her in amusement for feeding cake to Tetsu, who bared his teeth and pretended to growl at the human, in a far too good mood to be really angry at him.

Chris' eyes rested on them for a moment, then he stood and followed D into the kitchen, sighing a little. The young kami handed him a jug of orange juice. "Are you not happy that you are here, Chris?" he said softly, kneeling down in front of the boy.

The blue eyes wandered off. "Sure, I am," Chris murmured and shuffled his foot on the floor.

"But?" D inquired further. The boy looked up again.

"It's weird," he confessed and hunched his shoulders even more. "I mean, you and big bro' – you always fought. And now you're still fighting, but it's not like you used to. And he's looking at you differently, too, and you at him, and there's Dana…" Hastily he added, "It's not that I don't like her!"

Spontaneously D embraced the boy and pulled him close to his body. "Don't worry, Chris," he whispered. "Leon and I still do love you. Nothing can change that, neither Dana nor the fact that we now are a couple. You are part of the family as well."

Chris' lower lip trembled. "When Sam and Josie took me away…" he started and bravely suppressed a sob. "You said that I couldn't stay in the pet shop forever. Because I'm a human. But brother's a human, too. Will you leave again?"

At that, D pulled him even closer, wanting to offer as much comfort as he could. Only now did he understand how much Chris had hurt, too, perhaps even more than Leon.

"No, I will not leave again. Not anytime soon," he whispered. "And should I be forced to leave, I won't go without telling your brother where I will go to."

"Can I stay here with you and brother and Dana?" The boy's eyes were so blue and pleading.

D sighed deeply and caressed his cheek. "And what about your parents, Chris?" he asked. "Don't you think they would miss you, too? They missed you very much during the year you were here, and I know your sisters did as well."

"But Leon's my brother," Chris argued, not willing to give up. The young kami smiled sadly.

"Yes, he is, Chris. And I'm sure he would love to have you here again. I would love to have you here, too. But your place is with your family now."

"Why?"

"Because they need you, Chris," D answered softly, stroking the boy's hair. "The fight you and Sam had has hurt your family very much, not only you, but your sisters and parents as well. It is important for them that you don't leave them again until those wounds have been healed."

Chris nodded slowly. "Just like you can't leave because you left brother once," he concluded. D smiled and petted his head.

"Yes, Chris, exactly. Just like I can't leave because I would hurt your brother too much then."

The boy brightened. "But I can come visit in my holidays, can't I?" he asked eagerly and D asserted at once.

"You are always welcome in this shop, Christopher," he said earnestly. "And you will always be, no matter what. After all, what would your friends do if you wouldn't look after them every once in a while? And Dana needs her uncle's help as well to become a good girl one day."

Chris giggled. "Pon-chan said she's a lot like brother," he said. "I bet she'll start swearing, too!"

D looked quite sourly. "Let us both try to teach her that even though her father likes it, it's not a proper thing to do for a young lady ," he replied, stood up and held out one hand to Chris. "Now let's go back to the others before your brother starts to worry," he suggested, smiling. "And before T-chan eats your cake, too."

Chris took the hand trustingly and smiled up at the Count. "Yeah, and before he starts biting big bro'!"

* * *

Leon looked up questioningly when they came inside, but D smiled reassuringly and the blonde calmed down. "Hey, we've been waiting for you. Dana wants to start unwrapping her presents," he said and winked at his daughter. "Don't you, sweetie?"

"Presents!" she squealed and scrambled up from Leon's knees, looking over his shoulder in expectation at the colourfully wrapped parcels piled up on another table. D smiled and took them up.

"Well then, here you go, darling," he said gently. "Happy second birthday, my dear child."

"My dear child?" Leon echoed and was favoured with a reprimanding glance. Chris giggled again and gave Dana a small parcel as well, blushing a little.

"I made it myself," he mumbled and crossed his arms behind his back.

"Careful, honey!" Leon thwarted his daughter and helped her unwrap the small book inside, opening it to take a look inside. Dana squealed in delight. "Tetsu!" she cried and pointed to the first page. The totetsu hopped onto the sofa and stuck his nose into the book, too.

"Wow, you learned how to draw!" he said astonished and grinned. "Though my eyes are not that big…"

"Story Daddy!"

D could barely hide his chuckle at Leon's exasperated face and patted Chris' shoulder in affection. "Thank you very much, Chris!" he whispered. "Now Dana has at least one other book she wants to read."

The boy grinned up at him. "I wrote a story myself, too," he told proudly. His brother took his chance at escaping another story-telling time.

"Well, then I think you should read it to her yourself. After all, it's your present," he said, making Dana leave his lap.

Chris blushed, but he sat down besides his niece and started to read to her while Leon sat down in D's high-backed chair. The kami raised his eyebrow at him, but the elder Orcot merely grinned and patted his leg. Two small pink spots appeared on D's cheeks, and he sat down on Leon's knees, even allowing him to place an arm around his waist. And he rested his head on Leon's shoulder, too. Fortunately, everybody else was too busy looking at the book and listening to Chris to note. So no one noticed either when suddenly the kami startled and blushed for real this time.

"Leon!" he hissed, quickly using his hair to hide behind.

"What? I didn't do anything." Leon grinned broadly, obviously satisfied with the effect.

D glared. "The children are around," he reprimanded silently.

"And busy with the story," the human gave back as quietly. "Don't tell me you haven't been thinking about it, too. I saw how you looked at me just five minutes ago before you went into the kitchen with Chris."

The young kami sighed a bit exasperated. "That does not mean you may do such things," he murmured and stopped Leon's hand from doing further mischief by simply intertwining his fingers with his.

"Well, you never said you don't want me to do them either. What was the matter with Chris? Isn't he happy?" Leon whispered and D shook his head.

"He is. He just needs time to adjust to the new situation here," he replied, knowing that Leon would understand that.

"Yeah, can imagine it's pretty weird seeing us this way after having watched us fight for a whole year," the blonde said, confirming his suspicion. "You think he'll come around?"

D smiled down at his new lover. "I think he will, if we help him," he answered and raised his eyebrow again. "However, I doubt your hands under my clothes are going to _help_ this case, Leon."

* * *

By the time evening rolled in D had already forgotten about his aversion to Leon's touches. He sighed softly when he at last closed the door to Chris' old bedroom, the boy fast asleep behind it, surrounded by his friends. There was much more life in the shop with two children being present. But he liked it.

However, he could not deny that he'd wished for the past hour or so the children would be sleepier so he and Leon might finally be able to celebrate Dana's birthday in their own way. A smile crept onto D's lips when he remembered the glances the blonde had kept shooting him the whole afternoon. He should perhaps find it strange that they were barely able to keep their hands off each other, but then again, they never had much time to themselves. There was always something or rather, someone, around who demanded their attention. And Leon had to work during the week. But today and tomorrow he was off duty, and D fully intended to make use of that.

So he hurried into their bedroom, finding Leon already stretched out on the bed. He narrowed his eyes at the young kami and patted the bed sheet besides him. "Now what did take you so long?" he asked. "Dana went to sleep half an hour ago."

"Chris wouldn't let me go," D replied, complying happily and lying down half on top of Leon who at once sneaked his arms around the kami's waist. "I couldn't very well deny his wish. He's been gone so long."

"But now you're done telling stories for today, aren't you?" Leon whispered, stroking his hands up and down D's back. The kami purred and buried his head in Leon's shoulder.

"Yes, I am," he breathed, starting to nibble at Leon's ear. The blonde's breathing sped up, and he groaned and flipped D over onto his back, opening the collar of his cheongsam to get to the skin beneath.

"It's a damn shame all of those have such high collars," he murmured, softly kissing his way down along the line of the opening silk. D chuckled a little breathless.

"I wouldn't be forced to wear them if you wouldn't insist on giving me hickeys," he replied, arching up when Leon's hand started stroking his belly.

"It's only two," the human murmured, going further down to one sensitive nipple. D made a tiny noise.

"Two too many if you ask my customers, dear Leon. I would not represent a very trustworthy shopkeeper if I showed up at work with the signs of last night clearly visible, would I?"

"It's not as if you're such a trustworthy shopkeeper anyway," Leon pointed out dryly and then decided that he didn't want to talk any longer. That was fine with D. He didn't want to talk about the shop, his duties or customers anymore, too. He just wanted to feel his lover. So he reached for him.

"Leon, please!"

His plead was heard immediately and the blonde leaned down, capturing D's mouth with his own. He sighed and tugged at the hem of Leon's shirt, tearing it out of the waistband of his jeans. "Have I told you I wanted to do this the whole evening?" he purred into the human's ear when they had to pause to breathe. He felt Leon grin in the semi-darkness and then soft kisses were placed on his shoulder.

"I – think – I – noticed," he told the kami between kisses and started to suck at the little spot where shoulder and throat met, making D shiver with pleasure.

This was so good. It was better than everything he'd ever dreamed of, and it was reality. This was the real Leon under his hands, his real skin, smelling of sweat and Leon and feeling so soft although he always seemed to be so rough. D plunged into the sensations headfirst and was halfway to getting lost in them when…

"Daddy?"

The small voice from the door made them jerk up in surprise. D hastily grabbed the gaping collars of his cheongsam while Leon straightened his t-shirt again. Then he slid off the bed and went to Dana, standing in the doorframe uncertainly, cat and penguin securely tucked in under her arm. He knelt down before his daughter. "What's the matter, sweetie? Did you wake? Can't you go to sleep again?"

Dana shook her head. Her gaze wavered between her fathers. "Dana want to be with Daddy and Bàbà," she said whiney. Leon cast a glance at the kami, silently crying for help. D fastened another closure and strode over to Dana, kneeling down in front of her, too.

"Dana, lovely, Daddy and I are busy," he said gently. "You have your own bed, and you are already a big girl. You can sleep alone."

"But –" Dana's lower lip quivered. "Want to be with Daddy!"

She looked like she would start to cry any second. Leon raked his hand through his hair desperately and sighed, sending D another glance. He returned it helplessly. The blonde made a decision.

"Well, okay then. You can stay with us. But only because it's your birthday, understand?" he said firmly and the girl's face lit up immediately. She threw the arm that wasn't needed to hold her plushies around Leon's throat and babbled into his ear while he carried her over to the bed, placing her in the middle.

"But we've got to get ready for bed yet. That means you're waiting here while we change, okay?" Dana nodded earnestly and kept still while Leon took D's hand and pulled the kami into the bathroom with him.

Inside, he let D go and looked at him with a mixture between chagrin and helpless amusement. "Well, I guess if we don't want to be disturbed, we've either got to lock her door or we shouldn't have gotten a kid before we really got it on with each other," he said and managed a lopsided grin. D smiled back warmly, pressed him down on the rim of the bathtub and slid onto his lap, kissing him deeply.

"It is as it is," he murmured against Leon's lips when they parted. "I would have liked to celebrate this evening with you in a special way, but since Dana is the birthday kid, her wishes are more important than mine."

The blonde fastened his arms around D's slender frame. "You're the mother, you should get a present as well," he answered and kissed his lover again. They were panting when they broke apart this time. D reached with a quivering hand and smoothed out his cheongsam.

"Leon, we should better stop now. Else I won't be able to let you go," he whispered and slipped from his lap reluctantly. The human let him go with a sigh.

"Yeah, it'd be better. Still…"

He eyed D's ass longingly, causing a shiver to run up and down the kami's spine. He bent down. "We will find another time and place, Leon, and then we will have our own celebration," he said and kissed him a last time. Leon smiled.

"I'll take you up on that. So, wanna change here? Because if yes, I'll go change in the bedroom. Can't watch you getting naked right now. Not without taking advantage."

D sent him a reprimanding glance which failed triumphantly due to the love in his mismatched eyes. "I would be very grateful if you would do that."

Leon stood again and stretched, bones cracking in his back as he did so. He pinched D's bottom and vanished outside as the kami squawked in dismay. But looking into the mirror, D found that he was actually smiling. Oh yes, he was looking forward to their celebration. And next time, he'd make sure Dana wouldn't interrupt them.

* * *

A/N: Aren't they cute? *sighs* I'm going to die of fluffyness -.- Why do I always write such stuff?! Perhaps D should've hit him when he said "mother"...

Just kidding ^^ If you liked it, it's fine with me. Anyway, we're slowly coming to an end here... and I can only pray it won't be too fluffy -.- Tell you what else, I'm so fed up with my exams. That's why I'm sitting here, way past midnight (okay, only 20 minutes past midnight, but still), surfing the www again when I should be learning (which, I confess, I haven't been doing that much to- er, yesterday, so I should better do it now if I don't want to do that exam again...). I. Really. Don't. Want. To. Learn. Anymore! Dammit!

Sorry, please excuse me complaining -.- Thanks for the reviews and so long ;-)

Enaty


	22. A real family

**A real family**

Leon had left for the precinct after breakfast. Chris and Dana had gone to Honlon's room to play with her. D had just sold another pet and was considering what to do now when the children's laughter told him they were coming back to the front.

"Count, can we go visit Philippe?" the boy cried at once and the kami smiled.

"Of course you can, Chris. Only be careful, Dana does not yet know how to swim."

"I can show her how," he suggested and D chuckled.

"You can try, Chris, but Dana is only two years old. She will learn in time."

"Okay." Chris turned back to his niece who'd taken his hand. "C'mon, Dana, I'll show you to Philippe. He lives in the ocean!"

"Salt yuck! Sandcastles!" the girl announced and D had to bite back his laughter when he saw Chris' confused face.

"We've been to the beach one time, and I think Dana wants to tell you she liked building sandcastles with your brother," he explained. "Why don't you go, I'll join you in an hour or so and we can have a picnic on the beach?"

"Cool!" The boy's face lightened up and D turned back to greet another customer, smiling at his enthusiasm.

* * *

When he stepped onto the beach an hour later, Dana and Chris were busy building another sandcastle with Pon-chan while T-chan slept and Philippe watched them from the water. As anticipated, the children were wet and sandy, but they were, after all, on the beach. D sat down the basket he'd brought along and called out for them. Dana turned at once hearing his voice and came running as fast as her small legs would go.

"Bàbà!" she cried. "Look, sandcastle!"

"Yes, I see it, Dana. It is very beautiful," the young kami praised and took a towel to dry her at least a bit. The girl grimaced and wriggled.

"Dana dry!" she protested, but her father was firm.

"No, my darling, you are very wet and I do not want you to get ill. Be still."

Chris arrived, too, blue eyes bright. "We went swimming with Philippe, Count!" he told excitedly. "He let Dana sit on his back the whole time!"

"Did you have fun, Chris? Even though you cannot see his other form anymore?" the kami inquired, but the boy nodded vigorously.

"I can still hear them. And T-chan said one day I'll be able to see them again, too," he chatted, flopping down besides D's chair. "He said even brother sees them now sometimes."

D wasn't sure if Leon really saw his pets in their other form, but he for sure heard them alright. So he kept silent and handed Chris a sandwich instead. Then he helped his daughter eat as usual. Only when the girl's eyes fell close did he notice that the boy was watching them with wonder in his eyes. D blushed.

"What is it, Chris?" he asked and wrapped Dana in a towel to keep her warm while she slept.

The younger Orcot blushed, too. "It's just like with those babies back then," he said apologetic. "You know, whose mommy was ill. But she's your own baby."

"Yes, she is," D answered softly and smiled down on his child. Dana tried to keep her eyes open. He rocked her gently. "Don't worry, Dana, Chris will still be here when you wake up. You can play with him again then," he soothed the child who sighed a little and fell asleep.

"Count?"

"Yes, Chris?"

The boy hesitated. "Why did you get a baby from my brother?" he asked, blue eyes wide with question. D bit his lip. He'd feared this conversation the whole time. But he'd known Chris would ask.

"Because I like your brother," he answered.

"But you always fought," the boy objected. "And brother said he was mad at you because you let Sam and Josie take me away."

The young kami sighed deeply. "Yes, Chris, he was angry with me. But not the whole time. And while he was not angry with me, I got Dana."

The boy thought about that. Then his face lightened up. "And then brother got angry at you again and you left," he concluded. D nodded. But Chris was not yet satisfied. "But after you left, we looked for you. Brother went to every place in the world. He wanted so much to find you again," he said and again the kami was subjected to a piercing blue gaze. He suppressed another sigh.

"Chris, adults are sometimes very silly. That includes me. I was angry with your brother, too. I did not want him to find me." He looked down at the child in his lap. "What I did was wrong. Dana is his child as well, and I never told him. I should not have acted this way," he said silently.

A small hand took his. Chris' blue eyes were friendly. "But you're here now with Dana. You came back," he argued.

D smiled and loosened one arm around Dana to press the boy to him. "Yes, I am, Chris. And I'm going to stay here for a while."

Chris smiled happily. "Are you going to marry brother?" he asked, and for a moment, D gaped.

Then he blushed and tucked the towel tighter around Dana. "No, Chris, I do not think we will marry," he mumbled.

"Why not?" the boy argued. "You do like him, don't you? And he likes you too. He looks at you like he does."

The blush deepened. "I do like your brother very much, yes," D admitted. "But I cannot speak for him. I do not know what he feels for me."

Chris blinked for a few times. "He never said he likes you?" he asked then. "Really?"

"I do not think your brother says such words easily, Chris." The young kami felt obliged to defend his lover. The younger Orcot sounded a lot like saying something about Leon being a coward any moment, and it wasn't like that. The whole affair was much more complicated than Chris knew, and D didn't exactly want to explain to him.

"Huh, I guess he doesn't." Chris stared at the sand between his feet concentratively. Then his face lit up. "But he made you sit on his lap yesterday. And he looked for you. I'm sure he likes you."

The childish faith in his elder brother touched D's heart. He smiled warmly. "Yes, he did. Do not worry, Chris. Leon and I are fine, even though we won't marry anytime soon. We also need time to sort out a few things."

"But you won't fight again, will you?" Now the blue eyes were worried again. D petted Chris' head reassuringly.

"Whatever happens, we will certainly not part like we did last time," he said. "We have a child to raise together. We will have to find compromises." And the fights they'd had in the past months were probably only the beginning where Dana's education was concerned. But he would think about that later. Not now, not here. Now he would just be content with what they had found so far.

The younger Orcot tilted his head to the side. "Are you going to get another baby?" he asked, propping his head up on his knees. The blush which had just died down returned with force.

"It is a bit early for us to be thinking about more children," D replied, trying to pretend not to be embarrassed. "Perhaps one day, we will get more children. But not right now. Dana is enough work at the moment. Say, don't you want to go play with Philippe while Dana is asleep, Chris? He's waiting for you in the water."

The boy turned and waved at his friend, then went down to the water without asking further questions. D took a deep breath. Chris for sure had a knack for touching all the subjects still untended to.

The young kami sharply reprimanded himself. Not now, not here. The time to discuss and answer them would come. But right now, neither Leon nor he were up to them yet.

So instead he leaned back in his chair, thinking about the evening and where they would go to celebrate Dana's birthday with Jill. He for sure was looking forward to the second celebration. Even if it would mean being in everyone's sight for the whole evening.

* * *

"So you chose a restaurant? Does that mean I've got to dress up real good?" Leon asked, helping Dana to climb into a skirt. D smiled and ran a finger over the human's back, making him shudder for a second.

"No, you do not," he replied softly, suppressing the urge to find out if the skin beneath the fabric of Leon's t-shirt was still as soft as it had been the night before.

Leon sent him a glance. "You're not insisting on me wearing something acceptable?" he inquired incredulously. The young kami sighed.

"Not today," he answered, avoiding the real answer. The truth was that even though he liked Leon in elaborate clothing, the t-shirt he was wearing right now was fitting just too perfectly, defining each and every part of his upper body just like D liked it to make him take it off.

So instead of staying where temptation was so near, D smiled, kissed his lover and slid out to knock at Chris's door. "Chris, are you ready?" he called. The boy opened and grinned.

"Yeah, I'm ready," he replied cheerfully. "Where're brother and Dana?"

"They are still in the bedroom." His smile brightened when the younger Orcot went straight into the direction of the bedroom, no doubt to help his brother pick out Dana's clothes. Such a good boy he was, and so nice to his little niece…

D hummed while he went to the front room, picking up several items he still needed. Then he heard steps on the stairs and opened the door for Jill, arriving on the minute much to D's delight. He greeted her enthusiastically. "Miss Jill, please do come in! Do you want a cup of tea? I am afraid Dana is not yet ready, Leon is still in the bedroom with her."

The woman chuckled and sat down on the sofa, petting T-chan's head. "Barely two years old and already a little princess. It's off to a bad start, Count. If you let Leon spoil her, she'll become unbearable when she's older."

The kami, in a really good mood today, laughed lightly. "Oh, do not worry, Miss Jill. He is doing far better than one would have thought."

"Wow, is it my birthday or the little lady's? What did I do to earn such praise?" the blonde commented, coming out of the back with Dana and Chris trailing behind him, hand in hand. Jill smiled at the boy.

"Why, hello Chris! What do you think about your little niece, huh? Isn't she a pretty?"

"Yeah!" Chris beamed. "Brother said I've gotta protect her from bad guys when she gets older!"

The woman suppressed a smile and instead stood up. "That's very important, Chris. We women know how to defend ourselves, but it never hurts to have someone handy to help," she told the boy and Leon rolled his eyes, but didn't get to reply since Jill had knelt down, offering a brightly wrapped parcel to Dana. D smiled in happy surprise.

"Miss Jill, that wasn't necessary. Thank you very much," he said and pointedly looked at his daughter.

Who promptly ignored her father's attempt at educating her and instead ripped the paper from the content, squealing in delight when she saw the plush dolphin inside. Leon had to bite his lip while Chris started to giggle. D sighed. "Well, after all, pets and plush pets aren't that different," he murmured, obviously trying to convince himself that he did not mind his daughter cuddling fake animals when she could have real ones, so Leon decided he deserved some praise for that and kissed him.

They didn't hear Dana finally thanking Jill ("Dana love Auntie Jill!"), nor did they notice the silence that suddenly fell. Only when the woman cleared her throat did they startle and look at the assembly, both blushing. Leon scooped up his child to distract from his blush while D hastily took his little handbag.

"We should better leave now, if we don't want to be late," he said and floated out the door. Leon followed at once, transfixed by the beauty in front of him. D was again wearing one of his almost see-through cheongsam, and he couldn't do anything else but stare. Today it was red, with animal shapes stitched on it with silver threads. Leon recognised foxes and birds. There were also trees. In short, D was again wearing a picture rather than a piece of clothing, but the blonde couldn't care less. The little earrings were carefully wrought silver flowers. D looked splendid.

Leon gulped once and started going up the stairs while D was closing the door to the shop. "So, where are we going? Do we need a car? Could get difficult with five people."

The kami turned and took his daughter himself. "No, it's just around the corner. You might remember, it's the restaurant we dined in once."

"Oh, right," the human muttered and tried not to think about Wong.

Meanwhile, D smiled at Jill and Chris. "That means, if you agree. It is very good."

"Are we talking about the 'Golden Dragon' here?" the woman asked and fell in beside the Chinese while Leon and Chris walked behind them. "Oh dear, you should've told me that, I would've put on something better."

"Do not concern yourself with that, Miss Jill, you look wonderful," D said gallantly. Leon had to agree. His colleague was wearing a light blue dress with a white jacket over it, and even high-heels. Being used to her in jeans and tops, he'd actually stared for a moment. She couldn't match D, of course, but no one could.

"Yeah, bet every guy will fall in love with you the moment we come in," he called from behind. "We'll have to tell the waiter twice what we wanna eat because he'll be so busy staring at you."

Jill blushed and smiled almost shyly. "Stop it, Leon, I won't do your report, no matter what you say," she replied and he laughed. "Well, I'd go for a cup of coffee as well."

"Oh well, that we could talk about."

They made their way to the restaurant joking and laughing, though Leon registered the looks by the other people on the street. He knew Jill sensed them, too. They weren't police officers for nothing. And D felt them as well, he could discern by the slight hunch his shoulders got when they walked by a souvenir shop where a group of Chinese women stood. Leon sighed slightly. Seemed as if D still hadn't gotten over his aversion of openly admitting that Dana was his kid.

He forgot about it as soon as they had entered. The owner of the place swept over, eyes huge and as delighted as Leon had ever seen him. "My dear Count, what an honour!" he cried and only cast a sparse glance over their party. "Do you wish to have a private compartment or would you rather dine outside? The evening is fine, and you could sit on the terrace if you want to."

D smiled and bowed a little, managing to neither drop Dana nor look strange bowing with a child on his arms. "Thank you very much, but I think we would prefer to dine inside. The child should not be out at this time, even if it's warm."

"Of course, of course. You are very considerate," he was praised and the owner led the way to one of the little compartments, holding the chair for D to sit down while a waiter did the same for Jill. D sat and looked at Leon, who quickly took Dana while the kami turned back to the man.

"Might we have a seat for the child, please?" he asked politely. Within seconds, a children's seat had been placed beside him and Leon sat Dana down. Then he looked around the table. There was D, opposite of him sat Jill, and on his left was Dana. He and Chris were still standing.

"Hey Chris, where you wanna sit?" he asked his little brother, who looked at the table and furrowed his brow.

Jill winked at him and patted the seat to her left. "C'mere, Chris. Let Leon sit besides Dana today, okay?"

"Jill, that's not – if he wants to," Leon protested, but his brother was already seating himself. D smiled at him brightly.

"But I sat besides her yesterday," Chris said. The elder shrugged and sat down at last, too.

"So, I'll let you order, but make sure there's some meat in it, okay?" he said to the kami.

Jill agreed. "I don't know anyway what I shall eat when I'm in a restaurant," she joked. "I've got problems finding out in the supermarket what I wanna eat today."

While the grown-ups were busy debating the food, Dana was curiously examining the cloth in front of her. Leon took the knife away before she could try to slice it up. "That's a serviette, honey. You use it for wiping your mouth," he explained to her and cast a quick glance at D, talking to the waiter in rapid Chinese. "Though perhaps it would be better if we put it over your dress…"

"Dana big girl," she said proudly and nearly managed to hit D with her fork. Leon quickly grabbed her hand.

"Dana, what did D tell you about fork and spoon? No waving around when you're eating," he said firmly. "Put it down again, please."

Jill leaned over to Chris and whispered something in his ear that made the boy chuckle, but the blonde was too busy with his daughter to notice. D, however, having finished ordering, caught some of it and hid a smile behind his hand, too. "Sometimes one has to teach another to learn himself," he remarked.

Leon looked up in confusion. "Huh? Whaddya mean, D?"

"Oh, nothing at all, Leon," the kami replied with mischievously sparkling eyes. "So, Miss Jill, are you having success with the new observation methods you are trying?"

While they were talking, D with Jill and Leon with Chris and Dana, mostly telling them both stories from when he'd been younger, the kami couldn't help notice that the compartment beside theirs slowly filled with a group of people. He couldn't see them, though, because the curtains were closed, a fact he was glad for. It was one of the reasons why he'd preferred dining inside. He didn't want everyone to gape at them while celebrating Dana's birthday.

He listened with half an ear to the polite conversation at the next table, recognising some of the voices. Mr Fa was there, and Mrs Shao and her husband, though he didn't say much. He never did, his wife talked enough for the both of them. Then there was another Chinese woman who'd married an American. If he remembered right, her name was Yi Jonas, and the last man at the table was a certain Mr Chan, one of Mr Fa's close friends. They exchanged the usual niceties, and then the food arrived and D was busy with helping Dana eat and couldn't listen anymore.

Only after they were done did he go back to listening again. He didn't want to eavesdrop, but the voices had become agitated and quite loud, he couldn't really help it. Leon was entertaining the other occupants of their table, so no one noticed when he leaned a little closer to the separating wall. Jill was trying to hide her laughter behind her serviette, Chris was squealing with joy and Dana, having ventured to Leon's lap again during the meal, followed her father's lively hands with fascination, trying to catch them and causing even more amusement on Jill's and Chris' side. D smiled and turned his attention to the conversation next door.

"It is unbelievable. Did you know he has been spending the nights at the shop lately? It's been going on since nearly two weeks!" Mrs Shao's voice was very distinctive, especially when she was excited or angry. At the moment she seemed to be both, and it was so high-pitched D's ears nearly hurt hearing it.

"It is a shame. He is such an impolite brute," Mr Fa agreed with his thin, raspy voice. "I never understood why the Count would put up with such a man, and now even less than before. The child's education should not be endangered by the presence of such a subject."

Yi Jonas giggled. "Well, haven't you heard what they say? That the Count can't really do anything about the detective being there and raising the child?"

"He would just have to say the word and it would be made sure the officer never sets foot inside the shop again," Mr Chan said coldly. "My nephew would be more than happy to help the Count in this affair."

"Oh, but your nephew has not had much success as far as I know," Mrs Shao chirped. D sighed slightly. What did they think? That he would give in to the advances of someone belonging to the triad? He was not that stupid, even if he'd had to learn that some humans were quite irresistible.

"But I heard he hasn't been too interested in your daughter either," Mr Chan replied sharply and the woman flustered.

"Unbelievable! You cannot compare your rude nephew to my sweet little Lin!" she snapped.

"Well, fact is, so far the Count's shown no interest in either of them," Yi Jonas cut in again. D could just see her jet-black eyes sparkle with amusement. He was wondering anyway why this woman had joined the group. It was not her usual company. But well, things could have changed during those nearly three years he'd been away. He hadn't exactly tried to get up-to-date with the latest gossip, being much more occupied with his personal dramas.

"And that wasn't what I was talking about anyway," the woman continued. "Haven't you heard what Mrs Chang is telling everyone? One would think it's not easy to be overlooked. The Count's been taking the detective along every time he does something with his child. They go to the park, they even went to the beach, Orcot is staying at the pet shop the whole time when he isn't working _and_ he took the child to his apartment several times… does that not ring any bells?"

Silence reigned in the next compartment. Jill at his own table burst out, giggling so much she got tears in her eyes, while Chris was barely able to breathe anymore. Leon grinned satisfied. "I'm telling the truth! She really did that! Did you not, Dana-chan?"

"Daddy!" his daughter agreed, finally catching one of his hands and clapping her smaller ones on it. "Daddy!"

"You cannot be serious, Yi," Mrs Shao said. "That's impossible. He would never – how should that even be possible?"

Mr Fa cleared his throat. "In fact, Shao-san, there are old legends that – tell about this kind of thing," he said carefully. "The Count's kin is said to have been procreated with humans before. Male and female alike."

"But –" It wasn't often that Mrs Shao was rendered speechless.

Mrs Jonas chuckled again. "Well, I've got to admit, I don't think it's that unrealistic. I mean, we all know he cares a lot about the detective and vice-versa. No one can possibly deny that. Why is it so weird to think they took it one step further?" Pensively, she added, "And, you know, I got a pretty good look at the girl's eyes last week when they were in the park. I don't know if you've ever noticed, but Orcot's eyes are of a very particular blue colour. The girl's are the exact same colour, too."

"That is one of the most disgusting things I've ever heard," Mr Chan spoke up, voice dripping with revulsion. "Such a fine creature as the Count – and then this man – what a terrible thought!"

"Well, personally I think your nephew is barely better than that officer," Mrs Shao snapped. "But my Lin! She would be such a good wife for the Count, she could give him healthy sons –"

"Given the fact that he seems to be able to get them himself, I very much doubt he'll consider that option," Yi Jonas cut in again. She, as the only one, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself. "I can understand him. Orcot is a very pretty man, though his manners are poor. But love isn't picky with such trivia."

"Love!" Mrs Shao shrieked. "How can you even _think_ the Count could _love_ such a crude being as this detective is?! He doesn't know anything about good behaviour, and he is obnoxious and I know by chance that he's not even a good detective! Everyone at the precinct laughs at him for his foolish attempts to arrest the Count!"

"I don't think you can call him stupid," Yi Jonas argued. "I mean, when he noticed he couldn't arrest the Count, he apparently found another way to catch him, and I swear, it was much more effective. I never thought he'd ever come back again."

D was long since not listening to Leon's tales anymore. He was frozen on his chair, feelings conflicting in him. At first there was shock – he'd never thought they'd talk so openly about his private affairs, over dinner, as if he was just one of their neighbours they could rip into tiny little pieces – and then there was anger and hatred and revulsion. How _dare_ they insult his Leon?! How _dare_ they insult his child and him with their narrow-minded attitude?!

He looked at the blonde, rocking Dana on his lap gently, the girl's eyes falling close already, at Chris, listening to his brother eagerly, and Jill, grey eyes blazing with joy at the discussion she was just having with her friend. Determinedly he stood, thus catching their attention. Leon's blue eyes changed from happy to concerned.

"D, you're alright? You've been quite silent," he remarked.

D forced a smile on his face. "I am perfectly fine, Leon, thank you. I just have to go somewhere," he answered.

The blonde's face cleared again and he smiled. "Oh, okay. We should anyway leave sometime soon, Dana's almost asleep."

"We will," D promised and left the compartment. "I am just settling accounts and then we shall be off."

He heard Leon resume his discussion with Jill as he slipped into the room. For a moment he collected himself, smoothed his cheongsam and made sure his hair was perfect. Then he took a deep breath and stepped up to the next compartment from which Mrs Shao was just spilling insults against the blonde. He ripped the curtain away with one swift movement, shocking the assembly in there thoroughly.

"Pray excuse my interruption of your convivial evening," D said sweetly. "I just happened to overhear parts of your conversation, and noticed you seemed quite anxious to have some questions which bother you answered. As I am probably the only one alive able to answer them, I decided to grace you with answers, though you certainly do not deserve to know them."

Yi Jonas held up her hand to hide her giggle. She'd spoken for him and Leon, but D was too angry to adhere that now. The others were staring at him with wide eyes and embarrassed faces. The young kami pulled out a chair and seated himself comfortably on it, folding his hands in his lap demurely. But his voice was pure acid when he spoke.

"Mrs Jonas was quite right when she assumed that Leon Orcot is the father of my child, for he indeed is. However, it is none of your business when or why I conceived the girl. It is not your concern to present me with a suitable husband or wife either, for I am very well able to choose myself, and I have done so. Leon Orcot is my choice and he shall remain such for as long as it pleases him. If I ever hear another word of insult against him or my child, be assured I will reward it with whatever I deem worthy."

Dana in the next compartment started to complain, clearly audible in the sharp silence. D stood again. "I am afraid I must leave you now to whatever it is you wish to do with this evening. My daughter is tired. Goodbye."

He turned and walked away abruptly, leaving them shocked and not able to reply. When he joined the others at their table again, Leon sent him a questioning glance, but D didn't react to it. He took Dana, the girl snuggling into him tiredly, and told them they could leave now if they wanted. Leon played gentleman and helped Jill put on her jacket, then they left.

Once they were outside, D returned the child to Leon, who looked at him in surprise. "What's the matter with you?" he asked, sending glances around to see if someone had seen what D had done. The Chinese smiled and took Chris' hand, much to the boy's astonishment, too.

"Nothing is the matter, Leon. I just think family should stick together."

* * *

Jill left them in front of the pet shop, thanking for the nice evening and saying goodbye. She bent to kiss Dana and hug Chris, who let her do it with an embarrassed smile, and then carefully hugged Leon around Dana, too. Reaching D, she hesitated, but the kami smiled brightly at her and placed a chaste kiss on her hand. "I was most happy you were able to celebrate Dana's birthday with us, Miss Jill," he said softly. "I hope you'll arrive home safely."

The woman looked at him with wide eyes and cleared her throat. "Well, don't know what should happen to me. I mean, the guys around here know me. Would be kinda silly of them to try something. Thanks for the dinner, anyway, and for the invitation. Have a good night."

D bowed. "It was entirely our pleasure, Miss Jill. Good night to you, too."

She left, waving at them. Chris had already entered the pet shop again and started telling the pets everything about the evening, while Leon and D remained in front of the door. Dana was asleep in Leon's arms, hands tightly wrapped in her father's blonde hair, who tried to pierce D through the darkness.

"I don't know what happened while you were settling our account, but I know for sure you're not the D I left the shop with," he said matter-of-factly. "What happened? Did the owner make you his heir or what?"

D turned into the shop, sighing slightly. "No, Leon, not at all. In fact, I had a quite unpleasant encounter with some Chinese citizens I happen to know."

"Oh," the blonde said and followed him inside. D shushed the pets and Chris into their respective rooms, telling them they could listen to the boy's tale tomorrow and went on to their bedroom, Leon at his heels. Once he'd turned his back to them, the pets all sidled into Chris' room, but the kami felt he could let it slip for once. If they were tired tomorrow morning, well, it was their problem, not his. He would wake them up at the usual hour.

"Lemme guess, that terrible Shao woman was with them," his lover said once they'd reached the bedroom and were safe out of hearing range. "And I bet they were talking about us and Dana, weren't they?"

"Yes," D admitted and started undressing his daughter with trained hands. Leon helped him and put her to bed once he'd finished.

Then he returned to D, sitting at his dressing table and staring into the mirror. He stepped quietly up behind his lover and placed his arms on his shoulders, scrutinizing D's face in the mirror. "You okay?"

D smiled up at him. "Yes, Leon, I am okay. It was nothing, really. Just narrow-minded human gossip."

The blue eyes never left his. "But it's still bothering you. Don't deny it, I can see it in your eyes," the human stated flatly. D sighed and leaned back against Leon's reassuring warmth.

"I am not used to being subject of gossip like this," he confessed. "Of course people talk about me wherever I come to, but so far they've never been talking about my private affairs, much less my – sexuality."

He blushed when Leon chuckled. "Don't be so sure about that, D. You probably just didn't hear that. But it's pretty human to gossip about other people's beds. Perhaps they never had something real to gossip about where you were concerned, but you can bet they still talked about your bed and what happens or might happen in it." He placed a kiss on D's forehead. "Don't worry about that, they'll come around in time. Other things will become more important."

"But aren't you disturbed by that?" the kami inquired and searched Leon's face. He shrugged.

"Why should I be? Whatever they are saying, it'll never be the truth, not even close to it. So what? Let 'em talk. They just don't have anything else to occupy them."

He turned and started slipping out of his clothes, D still regarding him in the mirror. Leon was right, and he knew it. After all, he had much more experience with people like Mrs Shao than the human had. Still – he couldn't get over the fact that they'd talked about his lover in such a way. It made him angry, although the triumph soothed him a little.

"But what if they talked bad about you?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Leon stopped and looked at him again. "So that's it, isn't it? They were slagging me off, weren't they?"

D nodded and hid behind his hair. The blonde sighed softly and came over again. "D, don't get upset about such nonsense. I know they don't approve of me, hell, they didn't even when I wasn't the father of your kid! So what? I won't change them or their opinion, and truth be told, I don't give a shit if they like me or not. All I care about is what you think about me. And as long as you think they're wrong, they can tell whatever they like."

Spontaneously D turned around and embraced Leon tightly, nuzzling his nose into the blonde's shoulder. He chuckled a little. "Guess that's an I-don't-think-you're-an-idiot, is it?"

"Yes, it is," D said into his shoulder. "They are not worth to talk about you, much less talk about you in this way!"

"Well, can't make them not do that." The human shrugged again. "I'll be angry if they start talking shit about you or Dana. But at the moment I'm really far too tired to fuss about such nonsense. You coming to bed anytime soon or you want to be angry at them a little while longer?"

D smiled and kissed his lover. "I don't think I shall busy myself with them any longer," he murmured and led Leon to the bed. "Didn't I promise you a special celebration?"

The human grinned and tugged him closer. "Think I recall something like that," he whispered and kissed D. The kami smiled inwardly. Leon was right. Whatever they would be telling, nothing could be remotely as good as was the truth. And since that would stay their secret, why should he care about the talk?

* * *

A/N: You are an idiot, Leon, but D's one as well, so that doesn't matter... *g* I'm sorry. I'm just having problems with all that fluff I wrote. Unfortunately, I needed it for a plan of mine -.-

Thanks for the revs ;-)

PS: Hey, does BC still happen to be around? I wanna know if I guessed right despite my poor geographical knowledge... ;-P


	23. Tie up and fix

**Tie up and fix**

"Leon, isn't that Gavin McGallen over there?" D inquired, shielding his eyes against the sun and glancing over to the big casino on the other side of the street. Leon straightened, too, and looked over. Dana tugged at his trousers, but he just took her hand and told her to wait a moment. Indeed, the young man standing over there glaring at them was without any doubt his major suspect in Laura's murder case.

"Yeah, he is," he said surprised. "But what's he doing here at this time of the day? The casino's not yet open, he can't play." Dana started to complain and Leon placed her on his shoulders absent-mindedly. The girl happily tousled his hair and stayed quiet. Gavin turned abruptly and walked away. D nudged Leon and made a faint gesture with his head. Following it, Leon caught another man looking out of the window in the first floor of the casino. He distinctly recalled seeing him somewhere. D enlightened him.

"Kevin Carter, the second son of the owner. His first son Devon works with the FBI, or so I heard," he whispered, his lips brushing Leon's ear and making the human shudder. The young man wasn't aware that he was being watched, he was staring at someone walking away with a quite sad expression. Leon would bet anything that he was watching Gavin.

"He doesn't happen to be gay, does he?" he murmured back and heard D's silver laughter.

"Well, actually, yes. Some time ago, he was known for breaking quite some hearts, but it seems that off lately, he's become calmer."

The young man left the window and Leon saw him hurrying to the stairs and the entrance. Quickly he took Dana down from his shoulders, handing the protesting girl to D. "Sorry, D. But I think I've got to talk to Mr Carter." He quickly kissed D on the cheek, causing an elderly couple to look quite offended and then strode over the street, hearing D's cheery voice behind him.

"Until later, darling! Now, Dana, what shall we do while we wait for daddy? Do you want to go shopping with mommy?"

He didn't have time to think about it anymore. Kevin had left the casino and was striding into the direction Gavin had taken. He looked nervous and his eyes were red-rimmed, as if he'd cried. Leon sidled up to him. "Kevin Carter?" he asked. The man stopped and glanced at him from brown eyes. Leon raised an eyebrow. Wow. Kevin Carter was using make-up.

"Yes?"

The blonde showed his badge. "LAPD, Detective Orcot. Do you happen to have some time for me?"

"Uh, I –" Kevin sent a helpless glance, but Gavin was already gone. So he caved in, sighing. "Yes, of course. But how should I be able to help you?"

"Thank you very much." Leon put his badge away. "You are Kevin Carter, right? Your father owns this casino?"

"Yes, I am. Is something wrong with my father? Or – is this about the casino? I don't know anything about those matters, I'm just sometimes helping out…"

"No, it's not about your father or the casino, it's about one of your customers. I believe he just walked away. Mr Gavin McGallen. You probably heard that his girlfriend was murdered?"

Suddenly Kevin's eyes were alert. "Yes, I heard about it. But, Detective, we should probably not talk about this here. Would you come inside?" He led Leon into the bar of the casino and got himself a drink, offering Leon one, too, but he declined.

"So you know Mr McGallen?" he inquired. Kevin played with his straw.

"Yes, I do. He visits quite often."

"He said he did so on the evening Laura Miller was shot, too. Were you here?"

Kevin nodded, glancing at Leon nervously."Yes, I was helping out at the roulette. Why are you asking? Gavin – Mr McGallen, I mean, was here the whole evening. Everybody can tell you that."

"We have several statements saying that Mr McGallen was indeed here the whole evening. Do you by any chance happen to know more about his relationship to Laura Miller?" Leon stayed cool and distant, sensing that Kevin was one of those who were intimidated by contacts with the police. He was more likely to spill something if he managed to keep him nervous.

"I – yes, I talked about it with Gavin once…" the young man stammered and Leon inquired further.

"You were on friendly terms with Mr McGallen?"

Blood rushed up in Kevin's cheeks. "We are of the same age, Detective, and know each other from some of the clubs we go to…"

"You are homosexual?"

The blush increased. "That's none of your business!" Kevin protested and half rose from his seat. Leon made a soothing gesture and he sank back.

"Sorry. But we have been told that Mr McGallen is homosexual. So you as another would perhaps know about that?"

"I – we're not on that close terms," Kevin tried to placate, but Leon wouldn't let go.

"Have you ever heard such rumours, too, in the clubs you go to?"

Now the young man looked pained. "Well… there're a lot of rumours about Gavin. But that's because everyone's jealous of him. His dad's all catholic, but Gavin's got a lot of money, and they think if they keep spreading that he's gay, he will be disowned…" His voice took on a nearly pleading note. Leon raised an eyebrow. Someone was being protective.

"So you can't confirm those rumours."

"No!"

It came too fast, to hasty, as if Kevin wanted to convince himself of it. "So Mr McGallen would have no reason to kill Laura Miller because she'd perhaps found out that he was gay?" Leon was playing here. There was no proof whatsoever that Laura had found out anything incriminating about Gavin other than her mother's dream. And he couldn't prove either that Gavin was gay, since all he ever heard were rumours. But none of his witnesses could name even one guy Gavin had had a relationship with. So either he was very clever about hiding his homosexuality, or he just wasn't gay, which would undermine Leon's suspicion that he'd killed Laura for finding out and wanting to tell his father.

So he changed tactics. "Do you happen to know when Mr McGallen left that evening?"

Kevin calmed down visibly. "No, I was quite tired and went to my apartment when the real croupier finally arrived. He'd got stuck in traffic."

"When did he arrive?" Leon asked and made a silent note to find out who'd seen Kevin on that evening. It was far-fetched, but if Kevin and Gavin were really having an affair, and Laura had found out, Gavin might have persuaded his boyfriend to help him. And while he was securing an alibi in the casino, Kevin might have climbed into Laura's apartment and shot the girl.

He sighed inwardly. A theory, nothing more. Nothing real he could show the chief to convince him to search Gavin's or Kevin's apartment. Perhaps then they would find the gun that had not only killed Laura, but also shot Gavin.

"Around twelve," Kevin answered and Leon almost cursed. Laura had already been dead at twelve o'clock. So Kevin couldn't have killed her either. But he might have the connections necessary to get a good professional killer for Gavin.

"Can you tell me more about what he said about his relationship to Laura Miller? Did they have plans for the future? Did they perhaps want to marry?"

For a split second something like hatred blazed up in Kevin's eyes. "Not that I knew. Gavin was not the marrying type."

"You know that actually that phrase meant someone was gay some years back?" Leon leaned back comfortably while Kevin again blushed and sputtered.

"What is it with you that you're always getting on about him being gay? I'm going to complain about your prejudiced attitude in the precinct!"

Leon held up his hands. "Sorry, don't think you'd have much success with that. As it happens, my partner is a cross-dressing woman."

"Oh." Kevin was stunned for a moment. Then realisation dawned on his face. "You're the detective who's together with that Chinese Count!" he exclaimed. The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"And just how do you know that?" he inquired.

"Gavin told me he'd seen you two with a child," Kevin answered unconsciously. He for sure talked a lot with Gavin if they weren't close.

"He said it's a shame you can raise a kid together even though it's forbidden," the young man continued and Leon growled.

"Since Count D is not a man, but a woman and the child actually ours, I don't think that falls under forbidden partnerships," he replied icily.

Kevin blushed. "Yes, of course not, then," he murmured, unsure again. "But I mean, he dresses like a guy, and he always says he's a guy… how should anyone know that?"

Leon remembered the look the elderly coupled had just given him, Dana and D on the street and realised that D was right. They really had to be very careful. They couldn't risk anyone spreading the rumour that they were raising a child as a gay couple.

He got up from his chair and turned back to Kevin. "Thank you for your help, Mr Carter. I hope I did not keep you from something. You seemed to be in a hurry when I stopped you."

Kevin's eyes darkened. "Oh, that. No, Detective, you didn't keep from anything. It was useless anyway," he replied and took a deep gulp from his drink. Leon left, thinking fast. So if Kevin and Gavin were having an affair, they were obviously having trouble. If he could just find out how either of them might have killed Laura while being in the casino at the same time, perhaps he could make one of them crack.

* * *

"Dana is already asleep. She missed you telling her a story."

D's voice didn't let on what he was thinking, but Leon could quite imagine it. He sighed deeply and embraced the kami, resting his head on his shoulder. Surprised, D uncrossed his arms and hugged him back. "Leon?" he asked carefully.

"Bad day, D. Bad day, that's all," the blonde murmured. D wrinkled his brow in confusion.

"But you were quite happy when you left us this morning," he said and guided him to the sofa, where he sat down and let Leon rest his head in his lap.

"That was this morning. More'n eight hours ago. Have been around the whole time. And I still can't tie up all those damn loose threads in the Miller-case!"

Leon's fist hit the back of the sofa. D caught it gently and kissed it. "What is it that you can't tie up?" he inquired, massaging Leon's scalp. He sighed and put one arm over his eyes.

"I _know_ that Gavin and that casino guy, Kevin, are a couple. Or at least, have been, since they seem to have quarrelled this morning. I _know_ that Gavin needed to kill Laura because she threatened to tell his father that he's gay. I _know_ that Kevin is somehow involved in this. But I can't _proof_ any of it."

"What are the facts?" D asked and continued caressing his lover. Leon held up his hand and counted on his fingers.

"Laura and Gavin were a couple, both raised very religious. Laura left her family for Gavin. She turned into a completely other person to please him. Then she got shot. Her mother insists that she got shot because she knew something about Gavin, something dangerous for him, supposedly that he's gay. Her neighbour, whom I'm going to kill for not telling me in the first place, told me today that Gavin was in Laura's apartment the afternoon before she was shot, but she thought he was waiting for her. He was there alone for hours. Then he went into the casino where his boyfriend works. Both were there at least until twelve o'clock, and we have witnesses to proof that. Still, when Laura entered her flat at ten o'clock that evening, someone was waiting in her closet and shot her when she opened it. Then he took some of her jewellery and fled. But, and that's the next thing the neighbour only told me today, he or she came back at around two, climbed in over the balcony and then left again. Sometime later, Gavin gets shot at with the same gun that killed Laura, but the attacker only hits him once although he was perfectly able to kill him."

He sighed and threw his hands up in exasperation. "You can make anything out of that?" he asked helplessly. "Preferably something that proofs Gavin's behind Laura's death?"

D was silent for some moments. "Are you sure that Laura was actually shot by a human?" he asked then. Leon rose and stared at him.

"What else should've shot her? I mean, what? One of her shoes?"

The young kami giggled and shoved his lover playfully. "Be serious, Leon. Isn't it possible that Gavin installed some kind of trap in the closet while he was "waiting" for his girlfriend?" he suggested then. "Perhaps he knew that she would not be there, because of work, or something like that. You told me she was crazy for clothes, so he could be sure she would enter her closet sooner or later, but surely when she wanted to dress for bed. She opens the door…"

"… and her Manolo Blahniks' were waiting there with the shotgun," Leon added and nearly fell off the sofa and D's lap when the kami shoved him again.

"Be serious!" he chided and then continued as if nothing had happened.

"…sets some mechanism into motion and gets killed while Gavin and his boyfriend are at the casino, cultivating their alibi. Then Kevin leaves the casino, drives to Laura's apartment and gets rid of the trap while Gavin is still at the casino. Since no one knows about their affair, it can't be proven that they killed the girl. If we wouldn't have been in front of the casino this morning by chance, you never would've thought about Kevin Carter being related to Gavin, would you?"

"No, I wouldn't," Leon said slowly and rubbed his ribcage. "I mean, even though Gavin has a lot of money, he's still not the kind of guy Kevin Carter would usually pick. And then, when Kevin realised that Gavin was still not acknowledging their relationship, he went and shot him to give him a warning. But Gavin could not tell on him, since then Kevin would tell the police about Laura's death."

D nodded and smiled softly. "Yes, that's what I mean."

"Oh god." The blonde sighed depressed and let his head fall back into D's lap. "So much terror just because some idiot decided that men shouldn't love other men," he murmured. The kami's face darkened.

"Yes," he said quietly. "So much pain and tragedy because of a rule that doesn't even have any use."

Leon looked up at him. "Hey," he said and nudged D. "You're not going to start killing humans again because Gavin and Kevin are bastards, are you?"

The young kami smiled sadly. "This is not something that falls into my jurisdiction anyway, Leon. My task is to protect nature and her children. What humans do to each other is not my concern."

"But you still care about it."

"It makes me sad," D replied silently. "To see how narrow-minded they can be, even when they should respect each other…"

"Well, I'm going to make sure Gavin and Kevin are never going to do that to anyone else again," Leon said resolutely and D smiled and bent to kiss him.

"My dear Leon," he murmured against his lips. "My dear idealist… How could I exist without you?"

Leon grinned. "Well I don't know. But you don't have to anymore. Besides, I'm all tense. What about taking a hot bath together?"

D laughed, his sadness dissolving into happy expectation, stood and led the way, holding the human's hand tight. Leon's presence made it so easy to escape the complicated world. He was such a simple mind sometimes.

_But I love you nonetheless__, my darling Detective.

* * *

_Leon didn't even object this time when D rounded the corner to his cubicle and sat Dana down in his lap, closely followed by her toys. Instead he hugged the girl tightly, getting a delighted "Daddy!" as a reward, and looked up at D.

"When will you be back?" he asked.

The kami sent a quick glance around, bent down and kissed Leon deeply. He wrestled one arm loose from his daughter's grip and pulled D closer, tasting the cake he'd had earlier, and the tea and the sugar. Oh god, kissing D was just – just – amazing.

Dana, though, wasn't too happy with being crushed between her fathers and made her protests loudly known. "Hurting me!" she cried and pushed against the chests surrounding her with both small hands. "Get off!"

Sighing in synchrony, the broke apart and looked down on the pouting child. "Dana, be a good girl and behave, I will pick you up again in three hours," D said to his daughter and smiled at Leon. "I am sorry, Leon, but I have a very difficult customer coming today. I scheduled her for the weekend, but she is so impatient…"

The blonde waved it away. "I'm going to question that Gavin guy again, only that you know. She's going to come along," he made clear. D smiled.

"Do so. I will be on my way." He bent, kissed first Dana and then again Leon and left, waving to them.

The blonde checked the clock and found he could spare some minutes for his kid. So he went to get himself some coffee. The coffee machine in the corridor was broken again, but someone had been kind enough to get the machine in the kitchen working again. Not surprisingly, he met some other colleagues there. Jessica squealed at their sight and immediately got some chocolate from her handbag to give it to Dana.

"Jess, her teeth!" Leon protested, but the woman was unstoppable.

"Don't fuss, she's the Count's daughter. I bet she's as crazy for the sweet stuff as he is," she said, and Leon noticed with some satisfaction that she was still using the male pronoun for D.

"Yeah, she is, which is exactly why she shouldn't get too much of it. He's at the dentist's often enough," he protested all the same. The other occupants of the kitchen came to take a closer look at the infamous Orcot child as well.

"Oh, she's so cute!" Eliza sighed. "I'm so jealous, Leon, really! It's a shame the Count's a woman. I would've gotten a baby with him as well, provided it'd turn out the way Dana does."

The blonde bit back a comment about Dana's stubbornness and special features, like inhuman strength and the ability to fly and instead brought another bar of chocolate out of his daughter's reach. It was strange to see his colleagues fuss over his own child now, as they'd done so many times over the children of others. It was even stranger to notice they were acting as if nothing was wrong with the kid, as if it hadn't been a complete and utter surprise, something that had busied the plaza's grapevine for weeks.

But who was he to complain if everything went so well now? Better this way than reverse.

Before they could start to really spoil the child, though, he took her up again. "Say goodbye, Dana, we're leaving," he announced, getting disappointed "But why?" from his colleagues. Leon smiled down and wiped away chocolate smears around his daughter's mouth. "We're going to question Gavin McGallen," he replied.

"You're gonna take her with you? Are you sure?" Jessica inquired and liquefied at Dana's smile.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm not going to loose her a fourth time in the precinct." Leon grinned and went away, Dana waving gleefully over his shoulder. Strange. The whole situation. Just strange.

He put Dana into her children's seat and drove to Gavin's flat, turning up the music and enjoying the fact that D wasn't here to scold him about it. Dana was happy, too, and kept singing along, making Leon feel slightly uncomfortable with that. Human two-year-olds didn't listen to the radio and repeat what they were hearing.

Sighing a little, the blonde concentrated on the traffic again. Yes, he liked Dana and D being here. He loved it, and he loved the fact that they were now a real family even more. But on some occasions, like now, he still felt strangely engrossed. As if he somehow wasn't able to keep step with the changes in his life, even though he liked them.

Well, he still had his whole life to get used to the new situation.

Determinedly Leon pushed the dark thoughts away and parked the car in front of the apartment complex Gavin was living in. He rummaged around in the glove box until he found his old, battered walkman, and made sure it was working before he took Dana out.

The girl looked around curiously while they went inside. In the elevator, her father put the earphones over her ears. "What's this?" she asked and turned her blue-golden eyes up to Leon. He shuddered for a moment.

"Those are earphones, darling," he then said carefully. "I'm going to question someone, and you are going to listen to music with those. Okay?"

The smile spreading over her small face made the human forget about her otherness. "Yes Daddy!"

He returned the smile affectionately."Fine. Then let's get to work, okay?"

He made sure the volume was not too loud for her sensitive ears, but loud enough so that she'd not hear what he and Gavin were saying. Then he rang.

It took a few moments until Gavin opened the door, grabbing the doorframe at the same time. "Whaddya want here again?" he blurted. "I din't call you."

Quickly Leon put a hand over his daughter's nose and mouth while he suppressed a disgusted shudder at the stink of alcohol coming from the man. _Ugh, should've known no one like Gavin is sober at this time of the day._

"Yeah, I know that, funny," he snapped. "But I'm still investigating Laura's death, and I do have some questions for you. So let me in now."

The man's eyes wandered to Dana on Leon's hip. "Whosshe? You cops godda small kid workin' or what?"

"My daughter," the detective replied curtly and stepped inside. Gavin gaped at him for a moment, then he tried to push him back.

"Din't say you could come in," he complained. Leon stopped his weak attempts by grabbing both of his wrists with one hand, thus forcing Gavin further into the apartment.

"I'm inside. You wanna talk in the corridor or you prefer your living room? Or whatever you live in."

Gavin was a braggart and a coward. Leon knew the type. He'd dealt with so many Gavins, he knew how to handle them. The chief had forbidden him to employ the best methods to make them talk, but he couldn't care for that right now. It was time to drag the truth about Laura's death out of the guy.

Pushing Gavin onto one of the chairs in the sitting room, he seated himself and Dana on the sofa. The girl was listening to the music, but her eyes were taking in the scene curiously. Leon turned her around so that she faced him. "Darling, that's nothing for small kids," he said softly. "Close your eyes, please."

She hesitated for a moment, but then did as her father told her. Gavin had watched him and managed both to sit straight in the chair and drag some of his wit together again. "She's the fucking Count's kid or what?" he snarled.

Leon glared at him. "Yes, she is Count D's daughter," he replied icily.

Then he startled. Gavin had started to laugh, a sound so bitter and hateful the blonde shuddered at it. "The Count's fucking kid. The cop's kid. Yeah, why not, huh? Why not have a kid with a cop when you're a sneaky illegal bastard yourself?"

Leon frowned. "D's business is not yours," he admonished sharply. "And your business right now is telling me the truth about Laura's death."

Again Gavin barked with bitter laughter. "Laura? That little slut? She got exactly what she deserved, _cop_. She got exactly what she deserved for not following god's rules." His eyes were gleaming with something reminding Leon of madness, and he tucked Dana closer. The man watched his movements and hissed. "You don't know anything about anything, cop! You don't know what it's like to live in such a family, where everyone's always anxious to follow the whims of some fucking supernatural creature that doesn't give a fuck about anything."

He glared at the child. "You don't know what it's like living in a family where they think you're possessed because you like men. Men like your fucking Count. I'd love to fuck him, too. I bet he'd be all nice after I did him. I'm good at doing someone. I'm even good at doing girls, though they just suck in bed. He'd be great to fuck, and I'd do him so hard, until he'd scream and beg for more." His eyes were gleaming through the felted dreadlocks and he took a deep gulp from one of the whiskey bottles on the table for support.

This was not going like Leon had imagined it. Everything in him screamed at the insult, at the thread in Gavin's words, but he forced himself to be silent. He'd had been in this kind of situation before, with the criminal insulting Jill or another of his female colleagues. He couldn't care for the fact that now someone was threatening his lover.

"I wonder what my dad would say if I came home with that fucking _Count_." Gavin spat the last words out as if it tasted bad. "My mom was all crazy for him. Everybody's crazy for him, even you, cop, even though you know what he's doing isn't legal. You're such a hypocrite, that's what you are. Getting a kid with him!"

"So you are homosexual?" Leon cut in, voice hard and cold. He was trembling with fury and pressing his hands over Dana's ears. The girl's eyes were still closed, fortunately.

Gavin coughed before he laughed. "Yeah, I am. So what? It's not as if you were any better, cop. Fucking that cross-dresser in Chinatown –"

"And why did you sleep with Laura then?" the detective intervened again. Gavin seemed to fall down with laughter.

"Are you dumb or what? Laura was my cover, you idiot! I just needed some hot babe so that my family wouldn't disown me! I'm not like you or that Chinese. I need the money they give me. If I'd told everybody I'm gay, they would've thrown me out. You, you don't have to worry about such things. You and that little Chinese slut. You can even get a kid together and no one says anything about it being unnatural and all, 'cause he just smiles and everything's okay."

The whiskey bottle was nearly empty, but Gavin sucked at it as if the last drop would save his life. "I'm so sick of it, you damned cop. Of watching you and all the other unnatural guys fucking each other as if it's okay. Because it's not okay. It's against the rules. God's rules, cop. And you're all gonna burn in hell for what you're doing."

"I guess then I'm going to meet you down there," Leon replied coolly. Gavin half laughed, half sobbed.

"I'm doomed since I took my first breath, fucking cop. I don't care what happens to me. I don't care what punishment I get. And first chance I get, I'm gonna fuck your little Chinese slut. You still want him after I had him? You still want him when he's all stained and disgraced?"

This was enough. Leon growled. "You aren't going to do anything to D. You'll gonna end up in prison where you belong. You murdered Laura, you bastard. She found out about you and that boy from the Casino and you murdered her."

Gavin sagged down as if Leon had pinched him with a sharp needle. "She said I'm the devil's prey," he whispered. "She said I was unnatural and depraved and would burn in hell for all eternity."

The eyes he turned up at Leon were gleaming with madness, yet strangely pleading. "What was I supposed to do? I love Kevin, I really do. I couldn't let her ruin his life. My life. I made a trap, and she went right in. Stupid bitch, she was always crazy for clothes, 'cause she thought I'd like her more if she dressed up pretty. But she just looked like the slut she was."

Leon heaved a deep sigh. "Gavin McGallen, I arrest you for the murder of Laura Miller. You have the right to be silent," he said formally. The handcuffs slid around Gavin's unmoving wrists. He stared at them as if not able to believe this was really happening. Leon left him in the sitting room and called Jill from the corridor. "He confessed," he simply said. "He killed Laura. Send someone over to pick him up. I've got to return Dana to the shop."

* * *

He couldn't go to sleep. He simply couldn't.

Sighing, Leon rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling of D's bed above him. D liked playing princess, and his bed was a princess's bed, too.

Gavin's face hovered in the darkness. Leon closed his eyes, but it was still there. The young man had been quiet when Jill arrived and took him to the precinct. He'd confessed everything, telling them about the trap he'd set up, just like D had suggested. If he'd known the Chinese he hated so much had been his nemesis, would he have been so proud of his trick, too?

The young kami moved besides Leon in his sleep, one hand slipping over the blonde's chest, tugging him closer. Leon complied. His thoughts kept wandering. He wondered why so many men seemed to be obsessed with raping D. He really would have to ask his lover one day. And tell him to be careful. There were a lot of guys like Taizu and Gavin around.

Or was it just because D was such a pure, beautiful being? Was it just that they couldn't stand the thought of something so beautiful not in their possession, but someone else's, that they'd rather ruin it for the simple triumph of owning it at least for some time? Ruin something perfect because their own lives were so fucked up?

Leon turned over in bed and embraced D from behind. The kami stirred and mumbled sleepily. He hurried to soothe him, rubbing small circles on his belly. D smiled, he could feel it, and turned over to return the embrace. His cock brushed Leon's leg, but by now he was used to the feeling and didn't give it much thought anymore. Instead he leaned forward and kissed his lover.

D went with him, but eventually he broke away and tried to look into his eyes through the darkness. "What's the matter, Leon? Aren't you happy? You finally managed to arrest Gavin McGallen, and you were right. He had killed his girlfriend. Why are you sad?"

His fingers brushed Leon's temples lightly as if wanting to shush the bad thoughts away. The blonde sighed and kissed the inside of D's slender hand. "I am, D. I am very, very glad I busted that ass. He makes me sick and angry, and I loved turning him in. But he said something, when I was questioning him… Three days ago… You know, while you had that customer and Dana was with me." The kami just kept on caressing him and waited for him to continue. Leon did.

"She didn't like him either. Anyway, she was sitting on my lap, and he was in front of us, and he was drunk, D, really drunk. Drunk enough to confess and also to spill some things. That he's gay, for example, and used Laura only as a cover because his family is strictly catholic and would disown him if they knew. And then he looked at me, and I swear, if there had been any way at all that he could've hurt us, he would have. There was so much hate in those eyes."

He shuddered and clutched closer to D, who wrapped one leg around him and placed his head on Leon's chest. The familiar scent of his hair calmed Leon down again. "And then he said something. About us, I mean. He said: Well, you of course don't have to worry about such things, you and your little Chinese slut. You can even get a kid together and no one says anything about it being unnatural and all, because he just smiles and the world's okay. First chance I get, I'm gonna fuck him myself, and then let's see if you still want him after someone else has had his way with him."

D's hands stopped and his body stiffened. Leon flinched and regretted he had told D this. But the kami was not concerned for himself.

"You let Dana hear this?" he inquired calmly, voice promising storm. The blonde quickly shook his head.

"God, D, no! Gave her my walkman and let her listen to music while I talked to Gavin. She didn't hear anything, I heard the music play the whole time, too."

D relaxed again and sighed softly. "Not that your music is so much better for a small child," he remarked dryly and kissed his lover before he could get angry. "No, Leon, it's alright. Your music is still better than what he said. But why is it troubling you? Surely you are not afraid he will do as he promised? I have to admit, I'd rather not be raped by him, but given the fact that he will be in prison for a long time, it's rather unlikely he will be able to act upon his words. And besides, I'd really like to see him try."

Leon fiddled with the covers. "Yeah, I know. I know you can protect yourself. It's just – I don't know. I think it's just that I didn't realise how lucky we are. I mean, even your grandfather hasn't made trouble, has he?"

"No," D answered softly. "He stopped by shortly after I'd returned here, but though he didn't approve of me moving back, he accepted it."

The blonde sighed deeply. "Yeah, that's exactly what I'm talking about. I mean, so far we've done quite well, haven't we?"

"Yes, we have. Why is that bothering you, Leon?" The kami searched his face in the darkness. "Has something happened? Is anybody suspicious?"

"No." The human sighed again. "It's just – I don't know. I guess it's – I mean, Gavin. I feel kind of sorry for him. I mean, he's crazy and all, but somehow… he reminds me of myself."

He could've cut the silence with a knife. "He reminds you of yourself?" D echoed, unbelieving. "Leon, Gavin McGallen is mad. His family has beaten their beliefs into him and when he found out he was a depraved creature in their eyes, he went mad. That's not abnormal. It happens a lot. Religious beliefs have been the cause of many a ruined life."

"You met others like him?"

Leon searched D's face in the darkness. "Yes, I did," the kami answered softly. "Gavin's mother came to me because she needed something to keep her sane. I sold her a pet back then, as I did with many others. Some of them are still alive. The pets helped them to overcome their fears. Some are not. They were too afraid to find their true selves with the help of the pet."

"So you didn't sell them the pets to kill them?"

D sighed softly. "I can never tell what will come out of the union of a pet and a human. Sometimes I have a suspicion. Quite often I am right. Sometimes I am not. I am not sure if you know that Gavin's mother actually left her family shortly after I sold her the pet for destinations unknown…"

"I read that she disappeared," Leon replied. "But her family said she'd gone to live with some really strict sect. Since there was no reason to suspect otherwise, no one ever did something about it. Police asked a few questions, then a letter arrived from her, telling her family goodbye, and that was that."

He stared into the darkness. "If she'd stayed, perhaps Gavin wouldn't have gone crazy…" he voiced quietly.

D's hand caressed his hair. "Perhaps not. Perhaps he still would have gone mad. But you didn't tell me why he reminded you of yourself, Leon. Have you been raised religious?"

The blonde chuckled. "No, no chance of that happening. My mom believed in god, but she never believed in making other people believe the same." He sighed. "I don't know. It's not something I can really say. It's just – the feeling that perhaps I'd have ended up one day like Gavin… too afraid to admit what I really…"

He stopped talking, felt D waiting for him to finish and sighed again. "It's nothing, D, don't worry. It's just busying me, that's all."

The kami didn't reply, but continued caressing his lover, massaging his tight muscles. Slowly Leon relaxed under those skilled hands. When D started pressing soft, fluttering kisses to his chest, his dark thoughts seemed to simply disappear with each kiss, one by one. Leon welcomed the heavy fatigue in his body.

"Does it not feel strange to you?" he murmured and stroked his hands along D's warm body. The kami stopped and looked up, mismatched eyes shining even in the darkness of the bedroom.

"What should feel strange? This here?" he answered and quickly bit down on Leon's shoulder only to kiss the spot again a second later.

"Yes, this here," the blonde sighed. "Three years ago, you'd have killed me for just entering your bedroom. And now I'm in your bed and you'd kill me if I left it."

The silver sound of D's laughter warmed his heart. "You are quite right, Leon, I would kill you if you left our bed now," the kami replied with mischievously sparkling eyes. "The situation has changed. I think we consented on that, did we not?"

"Yes, of course." Leon took a deep breath. "But still. What's going to happen to us in the future? Are we going to start quarrelling again in a few weeks? Will someone get suspicious? What will happen with Dana? She's changing, you know. She's growing quite quickly."

D chuckled and pulled him closer. "Children happen to do that."

Perhaps he felt that the human was still uneasy. So he kissed him again and added, "Leon, do not worry too much. For once, my kin is, as you know, blessed with some gifts humans do not have. Second, I for my share do think the last months have been everything but smooth. And third, I do not doubt that we will encounter enough problems in the future. But we will handle them as well, whatever it will be. There are still a lot of things we have to talk about, things you have got to learn about me, about my family. Time will show everything. For now, let us just be content with what we have."

Leon sighed again, releasing all the tension in his body. It was true, the last months had been a constant adventure. They had had to think up stories, prevent discovery, found each other, founded a family… perhaps D was right. Time would show. Whatever had caused this unexplainable fear in him, it was nothing he couldn't handle. Nothing they couldn't handle together.

He felt D besides him, his smooth skin, his incredibly perfect body, the trust and love the kami was offering him. He felt the pet shop around him, in a strange way he had never understood, felt every animal in here, Tetsu and Pon-chan in the room next door, his daughter asleep in her bed, the others in their rooms. Yes, D was right. There was still a lot to learn about the shop, a lot to find out. There would be other times to do all this, other times to quarrel and work things out.

But for now, everything was just right.

-End-

* * *

A/N: Ah yes, we're at the end of the second part... Any comments, threats of murder or something else you want to tell me? Come on, don't be shy, tell me. I know myself the story has some (more like, far too many -.-) weak spots, and I'd like to know what I can do better. My sincere apologies to those who expected more from me, especially for the last three or four chapters. They may seem pretty pointless at the moment, but I had a reason for putting them in here.

I thought a lot about how I'm going to announce it, but I think short is best. So: There will be a sequel to this. Or, more like it, I turned the story about Leon, D and Dana into a series which I named "Interspecies communication problems". It's an actual term from biology and defines the communication problems between different species, like, for example, cats and dogs. I rather thought it fitting... ^^

If you are interested in it, I would be honoured if you would have a look at it, and I promise to do my very best to keep out the fluff in the next part. As to airing date and more information, please have a look at my profile every now and then, put me on author alert or keep an eye on the archive for another story starting with an "Un-"

Anyway, thanks to everyone who wrote a review, and special thanks to those who wrote one for nearly every chapter. Since that's the only reward I get for writing, you make me unbelievably happy with them. Also thanks to my inevitable Nani - darling, if I wasn't already married to you... ;-P

Hope to meet you again, no matter in which story, and thank you all for reading,

Enaty


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